Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seemed to go out of his way to fly around much of European airspace to New York, apparently bypassing nations where he could be arrested in connection with International Criminal Court (ICC) warrants.
His official plane, the "Wings of Zion," flew a notably southern route to the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday.
Flight-tracking data exposed the diversion, which was apparently intended to avoid possible legal issues. In November 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants against Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, charging both with war crimes and crimes against humanity in Israel's Gaza military campaigns — charges the Israeli government categorically denies.
Several European countries that are members of the ICC announced that they would enforce the warrants if Netanyahu traveled to their country. This would have caused his plane to be grounded and led to an arrest.
Rather than cutting through the middle of Europe as is common for flights from Israel to the United States, the jet hugged the southern tip of the continent. It skimmed only the fringes of Greek and Italian skies, crossed over the Mediterranean, and then made its way out towards the Atlantic via the Strait of Gibraltar.
Typically, Israeli flights to the United States fly a more direct and shorter course through nations like France. Aviation experts estimated that Netanyahu's detour tacked on about 373 miles (600 kilometers) to the flight.
Ireland has openly committed to arresting him if he came to the country, and Spain asserted it would assist the ICC. France declared it would not execute an arrest, and Italy queried whether such a move would even be feasible in a practical sense. France has been more aggressive towards Russian President Vladimir Putin, however, who also has an ICC warrant out against him. Like the United States and Israel, Russia is not a signatory to the court.
While no formal explanation was offered for the change in course, a French diplomatic official explained to Times of Israel that Israel had requested authorization to fly through French airspace. The request had been granted, said the source, but Netanyahu's delegation ended up not using it.
"They chose another route, and we don't know why," the French official said.
Netanyahu is to speak to the UN General Assembly on Friday before heading to Washington for discussions with U.S. President Donald Trump next week.
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