Benjamin Netanyahu flies to New York for Thursday's UN General Assembly with an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for his arrest still in force. On the same trip last September, his jet flew around most of Europe. One Israeli estimate put the extra distance at 600km (372 miles).
The arrest risk arises if he lands, rather than simply passing through a country's airspace. Several European ICC member states have said they would seek to comply with their obligations if Netanyahu enters their territory. A medical or technical stop in one of those countries could result in his arrest. His office has not said which way the plane will fly.
Why Netanyahu's Plane Flew Around Europe in 2025
Flightradar24 records from 25 September 2025 show the Wing of Zion, Israel's state Boeing 767, over Greece and Italy, both court members. The jet then followed the Mediterranean to the Strait of Gibraltar and stayed out of French airspace. That journey to New York took 13 hours. Airline flights from Tel Aviv take just under 11 hours, and reporter Itay Blumental posted the route live, as the post below shows.
Netanyahu's office never explained the 2025 detour. A French official said France had cleared the jet to cross, but the crew chose another path. Israel's US envoy, Yechiel Leiter, explained in March 2025 that a February flight stayed over American bases so any medical landing would avoid Europe. Steve Ganyard, a former State Department official, told ABC News last year that anyone can track such flights: 'Technology has changed diplomacy in this small way.'
Has the Plane Crossed Europe Since Then?
Later trips returned to the usual, shorter route. Flight-tracking data showed the jet over Greece, Italy, and France on 27 July 2026, when Netanyahu flew to Washington and met President Donald Trump. Trips in December 2025 and in February 2026 reportedly followed similar paths. Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, a campaign group, wrote on X that the jet entered Canadian airspace three times in seven months.
Treaty rules say more about a leader landing than a plane passing overhead. Article 86 of the Rome Statute, which created the court, requires members to cooperate fully. The Chicago Convention bars unauthorised overflights by state aircraft. A crossing alone does not show what clearance a country issued. France said in November 2024 it must consider immunities for officials of non-member states, including Netanyahu, if the court sought his arrest and surrender.
What Happens in New York on Thursday
The US is not a party to the Rome Statute, so the warrant creates no US duty to arrest Netanyahu. Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who had called for that arrest, acknowledged in July he lacked the authority. Netanyahu is due to speak at 14:00 local time on Thursday and leave that day, though plans may change.
The Assembly of States Parties removed Prosecutor Karim Khan on 24 July 2026, but the ICC says the warrant remains. Deputy prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan told CNN last week: 'The case is still proceeding.' Israel's jurisdictional challenge returned to the Pre-Trial Chamber in April 2025, and judges rejected its separate Article 18 appeal as inadmissible.
