Jerusalem
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s flight to the United States took a detour route in clear efforts to avoid a country that could execute unpaid arrest warrants against him on suspicion of war crimes.
Netanyahu left Tel Aviv Wednesday evening to speak at the UN General Assembly and meet President Donald Trump.
However, his flights, which normally disturbed some European countries, instead flew around the length of the Mediterranean Sea and the Strait of Gibraltar.
According to Flightradar24, the flight temporarily disrupted Greece and Italy, but extended the flight duration, avoiding the French and Spanish airspace altogether.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has not publicly said why they took the unusual route, so CNN approached them for comment.
Two weeks ago, the PMO announced that Netanyahu’s close aide journalists and members would not accompany him in search of “technical arrangements related to seating and security.” The Jerusalem post reported that it was a way to supplement the additional fuel needed.
French diplomatic sources said France has accepted Israel’s demand to fly through French airspace.
“In the end they decided to take a different route, but we don’t know why,” the diplomat said.
Netanyahu’s final trip in July flew through Greece, Italy and France, according to ADS-B Exchange, another flight tracking website.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for Netanyahu in November last year on suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity. If Netanyahu disrupts European countries, a member of the ICC, he could be forced to land and arrested.
Neither Israel nor the US are members of the ICC.
