AhlulBayt News Agency: Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a war criminal wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), flew over Greece, Italy, France and Canada en route to New York despite an ICC arrest warrant issued against him in November 2024 over war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Flight-tracking data on Thursday showed Netanyahu’s aircraft crossing the three European countries before flying across the Atlantic and entering Canadian airspace, raising questions over the obligations of ICC member states when a person wanted by the court travels through their territory.
Canada’s Foreign Minister Anita Anand said she had asked officials to examine Netanyahu’s planned route. She reaffirmed Canada’s support for international courts and accountability for crimes against humanity but did not directly say whether Canada considers Netanyahu a war criminal.
The ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli war minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024.
ICC judges said there were reasonable grounds to believe they bore responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the use of starvation as a method of warfare in Gaza.
The Rome Statute requires member states to cooperate with requests to arrest and surrender suspects.
France has argued that it is not legally required to stop Netanyahu’s aircraft from using its airspace.
International law experts, including UN Special Rapporteur Ben Saul, have challenged that interpretation, pointing to states’ sovereignty over their airspace and possible obligations under international treaties.
Netanyahu has previously flown through the airspace of ICC member states. France authorized his aircraft to cross its airspace on several occasions, including in December 2025 and February and July 2026. Canada, Greece and Italy have also appeared repeatedly on his routes to the United States.
There is a separate precedent involving Hungary, which hosted Netanyahu from April 3 to 6, 2025.
ICC judges later found that Hungary had failed to comply with its obligation to cooperate with the court and referred the matter to the Assembly of States Parties.
Hungary subsequently began the process of withdrawing from the ICC, but its new government reversed the decision before it took effect.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said the city does not have the authority to enforce the ICC warrant, but has called on the US federal government to do so.
“My administration has reviewed every avenue available under applicable law to determine whether New York City could execute the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant if Benjamin Netanyahu came here,” Mamdani said in July.
“It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant. The federal government, however, does, and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant.”
Netanyahu’s visit to New York comes amid wider diplomatic tensions. The US has again denied visas to senior members of a Palestinian delegation, including President Mahmoud Abbas, citing, among other issues, Palestinian efforts to pursue cases involving Israel before the ICC and the International Court of Justice.
The UN General Assembly subsequently allowed Abbas to address the body by video.
Palestinian representatives have urged diplomatic missions to leave the General Assembly chamber during Netanyahu’s speech in protest against Israel’s actions in the besieged Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu is expected to spend less than eight hours in New York before returning to Israeli occupied territories. His office has not listed a meeting with US President Donald Trump or other senior US officials.
The unusually brief trip contrasts with Netanyahu’s week-long US visit last year, which included a meeting with Trump. They have met several times since Trump returned to the White House, with their most recent reported meeting taking place in July.
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