Netanyahu departs for Washington for talks with Trump

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday departed for Washington for talks with US President Donald Trump.

Netanyahu is visiting Washington at Trump's invitation and will discuss issues of mutual interest to Israel and the US, according to the official Israel in Arabic account on US social media platform X.

The Israeli prime minister said on Sunday that he plans to attend the UN General Assembly in New York despite calls for his arrest by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Last Tuesday, Mamdani called Netanyahu a "war criminal" and urged the US government to enforce an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against him if he enters the US.

US President Donald Trump, however, has vowed that Netanyahu “will not be arrested” while visiting the US.

The ICC issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.