Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., has urged New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to refrain from any attempts to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should he visit the city for the United Nations General Assembly in September. Meeks stated on CNN's "The Situation Room" that the UN serves as a venue for all global leaders to engage with the international community, regardless of agreement.
"Look, the United Nations is for all leaders to come to the United States, for them to have a chance to talk to the collective body, whether you agree with them or not," Meeks told host Wolf Blitzer. He emphasized that individuals have the right to express dissent but cautioned against disrupting the UN's function.
Mamdani's office had previously indicated that it was exploring the city's legal authority to arrest Netanyahu, whom the mayor called a "war criminal" in earlier remarks. Mamdani stated his administration would act within existing legal frameworks to do "whatever the law allows" if the Israeli prime minister visited New York.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024 for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the conflict in Gaza. Israel contests these allegations and the court's jurisdiction. The United States is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, the treaty establishing the ICC, and therefore does not have the same obligations to arrest and surrender individuals as member states.