With the United Nations General Assembly taking place in New York right now, we’re seeing lots of interesting government aircraft headed to New York. However, arguably no plane is taking a more unusual path than that of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is expected to give a speech, and meet with United States President Donald Trump.
Israel’s government Boeing 767 avoids some Europe airspace
At the moment, Israel’s Prime Minister is flying from Tel Aviv (TLV) to New York (JFK). As usual, he’s flying on the “Wing of Zion,” belonging to the Israeli Air Force, which ordinarily transports the country’s leaders. This is a 25-year-old Boeing 767-300ER with the registration code 4X-ISR.
Israel is no stranger to avoiding the airspace of certain countries, though this 5,677-mile flight is making some noteworthy detours, which you wouldn’t ordinarily see with EL AL planes. While the plane is now out over the Atlantic Ocean, its routing from Israel to beyond the cost of Portugal was quite something.
Rather than just taking a direct routing there, the plane flew in a more roundabout way than usual. It flew over the southern parts of Greece and Italy, before turning south, to avoid flying over France, Spain, etc.
Perhaps most interesting is how the plane passed between Spain and Morocco, as it flew right over the nine mile wide Strait of Gibraltar.
Why is Netanyahu’s plane avoiding certain countries?
Why is Netanyahu’s plane taking this roundabout routing, which is even less direct than you’d find on your typical EL AL flight? The Israeli government hasn’t revealed the reason, but presumably it’s not just a coincidence.
The most common theory seems to be wanting to avoid select Rome Statute signatory countries (the treaty under which the International Criminal Court operates), which could enforce arrest warrants in case of an emergency landing. The treaty requires countries to avoid acts that contradict the charter’s purpose. Keep in mind that countries like Israel, Russia, and the United States, have all withdrawn from this treaty, which assures Netanyahu a level of safety in the United States.
In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, alleging responsibility for the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts during the Gaza war.
With countries like France and Spain having recently recognized Palestinian statehood, there are increasing concerns about what could happen in the event of Netanyahu landing in those countries, regarding the enforcement of arrest warrants.
That being said, I imagine there even has to be a little more to this, and a general desire to avoid certain airspace. After all, in the event of an emergency, where else would Netanyahu divert to? I can’t imagine he’d feel better about a diversion to Algeria or Libya, for example. So could this instead be more about concern about “bad actors” in the airspace of these countries?
Bottom line
As Netanyahu flies to New York, his plane is taking a rather unusual routing, avoiding flying over select European countries. While no official reason has been given for this, it seems the most likely explanation is a fear of a possible arrest in a country like France or Spain, in the event of a landing there. The measures taken were so extreme that the plane even flew through the narrow Strait of Gibraltar.
