Benjamin Netanyahu will fly to New York next week with a pared-down delegation and a longer route aboard the so-called Wing of Zion, avoiding airspace where ICC politics could complicate overflight—and, in an emergency, force a landing in a state obliged to arrest him.

According to a Jerusalem Post report on Monday, Israeli officials confirmed the detour and corresponding weight reductions to allow for additional fuel, while the Prime Minister’s Office said journalists would be excluded from the flight, citing “technical arrangements.”

The change follows earlier instances in which Netanyahu extended routes to bypass countries more likely to enforce the warrant, highlighting the practical constraints of being a wanted leader in transit.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Netanyahu and then-War Minister Yoav Gallant, alleging the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare and crimes against humanity, including murder and persecution from at least 8 October 2023 to 20 May 2024.

Judges rejected Israel’s jurisdictional challenges and reminded states parties of their duties under the Rome Statute, further tightening the legal vise around Israel’s leadership.

In New York, frontrunner mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has vowed to order Netanyahu’s arrest if he lands in the city—an unprecedented pledge that, while contested by legal experts, signals how far mainstream politics has shifted under the weight of Gaza’s devastation, where almost 65,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health authorities.

Netanyahu already scrapped a planned Vatican visit earlier this year amid uncertainty over arrest exposure—another sign of a prime minister rerouting not only his flights, but his world.