From media
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he is not afraid of being arrested as a suspected war criminal in New York and that special forces are on standby if it were attempted.
New York City’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, recently called on the federal government to enforce an arrest warrant issued against Netanyahu by the International Criminal Court in 2024.
While the US is not a member, the arrest warrant means Netanyahu is now an internationally wanted suspect and that the ICC’s 124 member states – including the UK – would be obliged to arrest him if they were to enter their territory.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/netanyahu-mamdani-special-forces-arrest-b3024414.html
What to say?
First off, the use of IDF special forces to release Netanyahu in the USA could end in the deaths of US citizens, police and soldiers and cause an international uproar and outrage leading to the severing of all US diplomatic and financial ties to Israel.
US public opinion is already squarely in favour of arresting Netanyahu for his war crimes in Gaza.
Imagine the outcry if some IDF special forces try to use violence to free him from custody in NY.
It would the end of any US relationship with Israel politically.
https://www.ms.now/opinion/netanyahu-arrest-us-poll-israel-war-criminal-zohran-mamdani-trump
Netanyahu seems to have no sense of what is politically possible or that lawless actions have political consequences.
Israel cannot afford to be seen to be using special forces to capture an arrested PM, arrested for war crimes, in NY, now that Trump, Bibis pal, is viewed as his bribed and blackmailed tool in office and an usurper by the broad public.
The country relies on the USA and public support for funding, military help.
Second, such an op will almost certainly fail, leading to the imprisonment of the IDF unit.
Even assuming Trump, the corrupt FBI, CIA and Pentagon, Trump help them by ensuring every door is unlocked, all the guards are absent etc. NY has its own police and prison forces. They will not be willing to see Bibi escape with the help of Trump and Hegseth.
Israeli special forces seem to be pretty weak and are beaten, according to AI, by Irish special forces in competitions such as the Speical Operations Tactical Sniper Competition held in Latvia.
It is one thing for Israeli soldiers to fight women and children in Gazaa Aother to take on regular army and police, even Irish forces.
Open AI
Irish forces (represented by the elite Army Ranger Wing) secured first place (1st rank) at the Special Operations Tactical Sniper Competition held in Latvia. Specific final ranking details or public podium positions for the Israeli special forces participants in that specific tier-one event are not publicly disclosed.
Competition DetailsEvent: Special Operations Tactical Sniper CompetitionLocation: LatviaParticipants: Reserved for elite tier-one special operations units from 26 competing international teamsIrish Result: 1st place overall (Army Ranger Wing)Israeli Result: Participated among the international tier-one entries, though exact numerical placement remains unreleased officially.
From media
A new Economist/YouGov poll found that nearly half of all Americans believe the U.S. should arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, based on an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court. It’s a remarkable sign of how much public opinion has swung against the Israeli government in recent years — and may foreshadow a new kind of progressive policy litmus test.
The poll, which surveyed more than 1,500 people between July 25 and 27, found that 49% of Americans think the U.S. should arrest Netanyahu, while 27% think it should not — a 22-percentage-point margin. Another 23% say they weren’t sure. Strikingly, the position that Netanyahu should be arrested held significant support across the political spectrum: 68% of Democrats, 55% of independents and 24% of Republicans supported the idea.
A new Economist/YouGov poll found that nearly half of all Americans believe the U.S. should arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, based on an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court. It’s a remarkable sign of how much public opinion has swung against the Israeli government in recent years — and may foreshadow a new kind of progressive policy litmus test.
The poll, which surveyed more than 1,500 people between July 25 and 27, found that 49% of Americans think the U.S. should arrest Netanyahu, while 27% think it should not — a 22-percentage-point margin. Another 23% say they weren’t sure. Strikingly, the position that Netanyahu should be arrested held significant support across the political spectrum: 68% of Democrats, 55% of independents and 24% of Republicans supported the idea.
Just as continued U.S. military and financial support for Israel has become an issue in Democratic primaries, so too could the question of arresting accused war criminals on U.S. soil.
The poll also asked whether respondents believed that Netanyahu is guilty of war crimes in Gaza. Again, nearly half said yes (47%), while 24% said no and 29% said they weren’t sure. The poll also found a similar range of opinion in response to the question, “Is Israel committing genocide against Palestinian civilians?”
The Economist/YouGov poll is part of a broader sea change in American sentiment toward Israel in recent years, as Israel’s military response to Hamas’ 2023 attacks pushed sympathies toward Palestinians. And yet this poll hints at something more — not just a crumbling of the once-ironclad U.S.-Israeli relationship, but in fact an openness to an adversarial relationship with Israel’s government by seeking punishment against its top officials.
https://www.ms.now/opinion/netanyahu-arrest-us-poll-israel-war-criminal-zohran-mamdani-trump
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