Canadian Minister Anand said in New York, where she is attending the meetings of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, that she had asked her government for information about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private flight.
Anand said assessments regarding Netanyahu’s passage through Canadian airspace were being conducted within the framework of Canada’s policy of respecting the decisions of international courts.
Stating that people suffering in Gaza and the West Bank must be supported, Anand called for crimes against humanity to be addressed. She did not directly answer a question about whether Canada considers Netanyahu a war criminal.
Netanyahu is expected to travel to New York today to attend the United Nations General Assembly meeting. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in October 2025 that Netanyahu would be arrested if he entered the country.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on November 21, 2024, for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes allegedly committed in Gaza.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said that if Netanyahu came to New York, he did not have independent legal authority to enforce the arrest warrant, but that the federal government should take action to that end.