Nearly half of Americans believe that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested on war crimes charges while he is in the United States, a new poll found.

Asked about the warrant issued by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes in Gaza, 49 percent of respondents to an Economist/YouGov survey said the Israeli premier should be arrested. Another 27% said he should not be arrested and 23% are unsure.

Similar figures were shown across the board when respondents were asked whether they thought Netanyahu was guilty of war crimes during the war in Gaza, which was sparked by the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, onslaught.

Netanyahu visited the US this week to meet with President Donald Trump. But the debate over whether he should be arrested has centered on the premier’s upcoming visit to New York City in September for the UN General Assembly. The city’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, is a harsh critic of Israel and long pledged to arrest Netanyahu if he set foot in the city.

But in a recent video announcement, Mamdani acknowledged that the New York Police Department lacks the authority to do so, though the mayor branded Netanyahu a “war criminal” and said he is “not welcome” in the city, drawing outcry from a series of prominent Jewish leaders.

Netanyahu has repeatedly criticized Mamdani’s rhetoric and vowed to come to New York. On Tuesday, in a Fox........

© The Times of Israel