Netanyahu Lands in New York for UN Speech Despite Standing ICC Arrest Warrant

Benjamin Netanyahu's plane touched down in New York overnight, departing a southern Israeli airbase under what Israeli media described as security precautions, ahead of his address to the United Nations General Assembly.

The Israeli prime minister has been the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for nearly two years. The ICC issued the warrant over alleged war crimes, including "starvation as a method of warfare," and crimes against humanity linked to the war in Gaza since October 2023. Gaza health authorities put the death toll from that war at more than 75,000 Palestinians, a figure disputed by the Israeli government.

Netanyahu entered UN headquarters and delivered his General Assembly speech without hindrance.

Calls for arrest

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called on the federal government to arrest and prosecute Netanyahu on his arrival, while acknowledging that his own office has no independent legal authority to enforce an ICC warrant. Reports indicate Netanyahu planned to respond to Mamdani directly in his speech, accusing the mayor of supporting Hamas and inciting anti-Jewish riots in the city.

Outside UN headquarters, a demonstration organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement, Jewish Voice for Peace, and the Democratic Socialists of America was expected as Netanyahu spoke. Social media videos showed Jewish anti-Zionist organizers demonstrating and calling for his arrest under the warrant.

Craig Mokhiber, a lawyer and former UN human rights official, criticized the decision to let Netanyahu access UN headquarters and address the Assembly unimpeded.

Airspace and allies

Emma Fourreau, a French member of the European Parliament with La France Insoumise, accused the French government of "violating international law" after Netanyahu's aircraft crossed French airspace en route to New York.

Fourreau said allowing the flight through French airspace amounted to a violation of international law.

Netanyahu's office said on X that the prime minister would meet the presidents of Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Panama, and Ethiopia, the vice president of Colombia, and the prime ministers of Greece, Slovenia, and Papua New Guinea during a visit lasting only a few hours. The statement cited a tight schedule and the need to return before Sukkot for why other requests could not be accommodated.

No meetings with senior United States officials, including President Donald Trump, were confirmed for the trip.

The visit unfolded against a backdrop of intensifying settler and military violence in the occupied West Bank, adding to pressure on governments and the UN over Netanyahu's continued freedom of movement despite the outstanding warrant.