Netanyahu Reroutes Amid ICC Warrant, Slovenia Ban

Benjamin Netanyahu’s government jet took a deliberately circuitous route from Tel Aviv to New York, briefly crossing Greece and Italy, skirting the Mediterranean and flying via the Strait of Gibraltar, adding more than two hours and roughly 600 km to the trip, according to FlightRadar24 and FlightAware. Observers and flight‑tracking reports say the detour was intended to avoid much European airspace after the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November 2024 for Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant alleging war crimes in Gaza. The routing highlights divisions in Europe — France authorised overflight and has said it would not arrest him, while Slovenia has formally declared Netanyahu persona non grata and banned his entry, and other ICC members have indicated they could detain him. Israeli officials offered no formal explanation for the reroute, and some journalists and senior aides did not accompany the prime minister, reportedly for security, technical reasons or to reduce extra fuel use. Netanyahu rejected the charges as “absurd and false” and arrived in New York to deliver a U.N. General Assembly address and meet U.S. President Donald Trump, an episode that has intensified scrutiny of how international arrest warrants affect heads‑of‑state travel.