September 25, 2025 | 10:04 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was en route to New York to attend the UN General Assembly (UNGA), reportedly took a longer flight path, avoiding the airspace of several countries except Italy and Greece, CNN reported on Thursday, 25 September 2025.
This detour was an attempt to avoid countries that could enforce an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against him for alleged war crimes in Gaza.
Netanyahu departed from Tel Aviv on Wednesday night to speak at the UN General Assembly and meet with President Donald Trump.
The flight briefly overflew Greece and Italy, according to FlightRadar24 as reported by Anadolu. However, the Israeli presidential aircraft completely avoided French and Spanish airspace, thereby extending the flight duration.
Several countries have committed to arresting Netanyahu if the Israeli leader enter their airspaces, in accordance with the ICC arrest warrant.
It was also reported that the flight using the Israeli Wing of Zion aircraft avoided Spanish airspace, as Spain has pledged to support the ICC investigation.
According to Amichai Stein, a diplomatic correspondent for the i24 news channel, Netanyahu's plane also avoided French airspace due to the ICC arrest warrant and the tension between Tel Aviv and Paris regarding the Gaza war.
The plane did not pass through any European country, except Greece and Italy, according to the correspondent, who shared a map showing Netanyahu's flight route.
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office has not openly explained the reason for taking this unusual route and CNN has contacted them for comment.
Two weeks ago, the PM's Office announced that some journalists and members of Netanyahu's entourage would not accompany him due to "technical arrangements related to seating and security." The Jerusalem Post reported that this was a way to compensate for the additional fuel needed.
A French diplomatic source said France had received a request from Israel to fly over its airspace.
"Eventually they decided to take another route and we don’t know the reason," the diplomat said.
Speaking to reporters at Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv, before his departure, Netanyahu said he would condemn the leaders of countries that recognize Palestine.
Several Western countries, including France, the UK, Canada, Australia, and Belgium, recognized Palestine this week, bringing the total to 159 out of 193 UN member countries.
Netanyahu's last trip to the US in July passed through Greece, Italy, and France, according to ADS-B Exchange, another flight tracking website.
In November 2024, The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Neither Israel nor the United States are members of the ICC.
His visit comes amid an ongoing brutal Israeli onslaught in Gaza, which has killed over 65,400 Palestinian citizens, mostly women and children, since October 2023. The relentless bombings have rendered the enclave desolate and caused famine and diseases.
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