New Poll Reveals Nearly Half of Americans Want Netanyahu Arrested on US Soil

A Striking Shift in American Public Opinion

Nearly half of Americans believe the U.S. should arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he enters the country, according to a new Economist/YouGov poll. The results are remarkable not just for their magnitude, but for what they reveal about how dramatically American sentiment toward Israel's leadership has shifted. It's a striking sign of how much public opinion has swung against the Israeli government in recent years.

When asked if the U.S. should enforce an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for Netanyahu, 49 percent of respondents said "yes," while 27 percent said "no" and 23 percent were unsure. The Economist/YouGov poll took place between July 25 and 27, featuring 1,559 respondents and a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.

The ICC Warrant at the Center of It All

The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in November 2024, accusing him of using starvation as a method of warfare and committing crimes against humanity, including murder and persecution. It also alleges that the prime minister intentionally directed an attack against the civilian population in Gaza. That warrant has become a flashpoint in American political debate, especially as Netanyahu has continued to visit the United States.

In mid-July, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani told The New York Times he was in "active" conversations about whether he has the jurisdiction to arrest Netanyahu when the Prime Minister visits New York in September. In a social media video, Mamdani said he does not have the authority to make an arrest himself but called on U.S. officials to act. Last week, however, Mamdani moved away from that prior vow.

The Partisan Divide — and Where It Blurs

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. That level of cross-party agreement on a foreign policy question of this sensitivity is unusual by any measure. The findings suggest that calls to hold the Israeli prime minister accountable for Israel's conduct in Gaza have spread well beyond the traditional supporters of Palestine.

The July 25–27 Economist/YouGov poll also finds that 47% of Americans think that Netanyahu is guilty of war crimes in Gaza, while half as many — 24% — think he is not guilty. The partisan divide was clear: 68% of Democrats supported his arrest, compared with just 24% of Republicans. The poll also found that 47% of Americans believed Netanyahu's actions had damaged relations between the United States and Israel — a view shared by 61% of Democrats and 30% of Republicans.

What This Means Going Forward

The poll also found that 43% of Americans believe Israel is committing genocide against Palestinian civilians, while 24% said it is not. According to YouGov, views on this issue have changed little over the past year — in September 2025, 42% of respondents gave the same answer. That stability suggests these aren't fleeting opinions shaped by a single news cycle, but a hardening of sentiment over time.

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. Yet this poll hints at something more — not just a crumbling of the once-ironclad U.S.-Israeli relationship, but an openness to an adversarial relationship with Israel's government by seeking punishment against its top officials. With Netanyahu's expected appearance at the United Nations General Assembly on the horizon, the legal and political pressure surrounding his visits to the U.S. is unlikely to fade anytime soon.