Netanyahu takes unusual flight route over Europe amid threat of war crimes arrest

By Tal Shalev, CNN

Jerusalem (CNN) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s flight to the US took a circuitous route in an apparent effort to avoid countries that could enforce an outstanding arrest warrant against him for alleged war crimes.

Netanyahu left Tel Aviv on Wednesday evening to speak at the UN General Assembly and to meet with President Donald Trump.

But his flight, which would normally overfly several European countries, instead flew the length of the Mediterranean Sea and over the Strait of Gibraltar, according to flight tracking websites.

The flight briefly overflew Greece and Italy, according to FlightRadar24, but it entirely avoided French and Spanish airspace, lengthening the duration of the flight.

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has not publicly said why they took the unusual route and CNN has approached them for comment.

The PMO announced two weeks ago that some journalists and members of Netanyahu’s entourage would not accompany him for “technical arrangements related to seating and security.” The Jerusalem Post reported that it was a way of compensating for the additional fuel required.

A French diplomatic source said France had accepted an Israeli request to fly over French airspace.

“Eventually they decided to take another route and we don’t know the reason,” said the diplomat.

Netanyahu’s last trip to the United States in July flew over Greece, Italy, and France, according to ADS-B Exchange, another flight tracking website.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu last November for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. If Netanyahu were to overfly European countries who are members of the ICC, he could be forced to land and arrested.

Neither Israel nor the United States are members of the ICC.

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