Maariv reports that Netanyahu’s plane took an exceptional route to Washington to avoid airspace of countries enforcing his ICC arrest warrant.
Israeli newspaper Maariv reported on Sunday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s flight to Washington took an unusual route to avoid the airspace of countries enforcing the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant.
“The Wing of Zion plane carrying the Prime Minister crossed the Atlantic Ocean, deliberately avoiding European countries enforcing the ICC arrest warrants issued against Netanyahu in November 2024. The flight’s destination was concealed from radar,” Maariv said.
According to the Israeli newspaper, “the typical flight route to the U.S. begins with a westward takeoff over the Mediterranean Sea. The plane then continues west, often passing over Greece or Turkiye, depending on the chosen path.”
Then, the flight crosses European countries such as Italy, Switzerland, France, or Germany before heading over the Atlantic Ocean. It then enters Canadian airspace, typically over Newfoundland and Labrador, before continuing south toward the northeastern United States and landing in Washington.
Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the ICC for war crimes and crimes against humanity, is currently flying to the US to meet with Donald Trump.
ICC member states are obligated to cooperate fully with the court, including in the arrest and surrender of individuals sought by the… pic.twitter.com/sDBD9C4Cba
— John McEvoy (@jmcevoy_2) February 2, 2025
However, “the flight path of the Wing of Zion suggests that the pilots deliberately navigated over Greece, then over Rome toward Turin and Lyon, before crossing the Atlantic Ocean.”
Netanyahu arrived in Washington on Sunday evening and is set to meet separately with US President Donald Trump and his special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff. The meetings come amid anticipation over the fate of the second round of ceasefire negotiations for Gaza.
Netanyahu and Trump will convene at the White House on Tuesday. Before his departure from Tel Aviv, Netanyahu described the meeting as “very important.”
He stated that discussions would focus on what he called victory over Hamas, the release of Israeli prisoners in Gaza, and countering what he termed the Iranian axis.
Report: Netanyahu Waiting on Trump’s Position for Gaza Ceasefire Phase II
This marks Netanyahu’s first foreign visit since the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on November 21, 2024, over charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity against Palestinians in Gaza.
With US support, Israel committed genocide in Gaza between October 7, 2023, and January 19, 2025, resulting in more than 159,000 Palestinian deaths and injuries, most of them children and women, with over 14,000 reported missing.
(PC, AJA)
