Nearly half of Americans support arresting Netanyahu on US soil: poll
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Nearly half of Americans believe US authorities should arrest ‘Israeli’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he enters the country, according to a new Economist/YouGov survey published this week.
The poll, conducted July 25-27 among 1,559 US adults, found that 49% support enforcing the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against Netanyahu, while 27% oppose it and 23% are unsure.
The margin of error is plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.
Support for an arrest breaks sharply along partisan lines.
Sixty-eight percent of Democrats favor detaining Netanyahu, compared with just 24% of Republicans.
Independents fall in between, with majority support reported in some breakdowns of the data.
The same survey found that 47% of Americans believe Netanyahu is guilty of war crimes in Gaza, while 24% say he is not guilty and 29% are unsure. Democrats are far more likely to view him as guilty (71%) than Republicans (20%).
The International Criminal Court issued the warrant for Netanyahu in November 2024. It accuses him of using starvation as a method of warfare and of crimes against humanity, including murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts, as well as intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population in Gaza.
‘Israel’ strongly rejects the charges.
Neither the United States nor ‘Israel’ is a party to the Rome Statute that established the ICC, and both countries reject the court’s jurisdiction in this matter.
The United States has long opposed the ICC’s efforts to investigate or prosecute its own officials or close allies.
The poll arrives as Netanyahu is expected to visit the United States in September for the annual United Nations General Assembly.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani had previously suggested he would explore arresting the ‘Israeli’ leader, but later clarified that city authorities lack independent legal authority to enforce the warrant.
“It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant. The federal government, however, does,”
Mamdani said. “And I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant.”
President Donald Trump has stated that Netanyahu will not be arrested while in the United States.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote that Netanyahu “will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America,” describing him as fighting against Iran.
Additional findings from the Economist/YouGov poll show that 47% of Americans believe Netanyahu’s actions have damaged US-‘Israel’ relations.
Forty-three percent say ‘Israel’ is committing genocide against Palestinian civilians in Gaza—a figure that has remained largely stable since a similar survey last year.
Only 19% of Americans support removing all Palestinians from Gaza, while 41% oppose the idea. Support for such a policy is concentrated among Republicans, particularly those who identify as MAGA.
