Trump says Netanyahu will not be arrested in United States

Trump the president vowed protection for the Israeli leader over the war with Iran, days after Netanyahu scrapped a planned visit to Washington.

First Published: July 20, 2026, 9:01 AM ET

WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald Trump declared that Benjamin Netanyahu will face no arrest on American soil.

The president made the vow in a Truth Social post on July 20, 2026 at 12:50 PM ET, framing the Israeli prime minister as an ally against Iran. Trump wrote that Netanyahu “will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form,” and blamed Iran’s leaders for what he called an “unprecedented SPIRAL OF DEATH AND DESTRUCTION.”

Here is the full post on truthsocial: “Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America. He is fighting against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which recently killed 52,000 innocent protestors, and has spent the last 47 years killing American Soldiers, and others. The only ones that should be arrested are the people that led Iran into this unprecedented SPIRAL OF DEATH AND DESTRUCTION, something that should have been dealt with years ago, by previous Presidents! Trump”

The statement lands days after Netanyahu canceled a planned trip to the United States set for the following week. His office said Thursday the premier would not travel because the funeral for Senator Lindsey Graham had slipped to the end of the month according to al-monitor.com. Graham, who held South Carolina’s Senate seat since 2003 and ranked among Israel’s strongest backers on Capitol Hill, died at 71 according to jordannews.jo.

Trump’s pledge carries symbolic weight because Netanyahu faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court over the conduct of the war in Gaza. The president’s promise of protection signals continued backing for the Israeli leader even as their relationship has frayed. An Israeli official said Netanyahu sought a meeting with Trump to restore trust damaged since the war with Iran, after statements from Trump’s inner circle questioned the prime minister’s assessments according to jordannews.jo.

Netanyahu’s plans surfaced as the ceasefire between Iran and the United States effectively collapsed amid renewed strikes over the Strait of Hormuz. Iran closed the waterway after the United States and Israel launched their war on Feb. 28 according to al-monitor.com. The two leaders last met on February 11 in the White House Situation Room according to jordannews.jo.

For Americans, the standoff shapes fuel prices and the risk of wider conflict. The Strait of Hormuz carries a large share of the world’s seaborne oil, and any closure ripples through global markets.

Has this happened before? This has happened before, as Trump has repeatedly shielded Netanyahu from international legal pressure and cast Iran as the central regional threat. The renewed vow extends a pattern of public support that has defined the alliance through years of conflict.

The next move rests with Netanyahu and Trump, who may still meet in Washington once Graham’s funeral concludes at the end of the month. A firm date for that meeting has not been announced.

American protection for a foreign ally on United States soil recalls earlier interventions in the fate of contested leaders. In 2000, Chilean former ruler Augusto Pinochet left British house arrest and returned home rather than face extradition, after 503 days of detention that began in October 1998. British authorities cited his health and sent him to Santiago, where he lived until his death in 2006. The episode showed how great-power politics, more than legal machinery, often decides whether a leader ever stands trial.