Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently made headlines for his unconventional flight path to the U.N. General Assembly in New York. Instead of the typical direct route, his plane, known as the ‘Wing of Zion,’ took a noticeably longer journey, steering clear of the airspace belonging to France and Spain. This detour added roughly an hour to his travel time, and his office offered no official explanation for the choice.
The reason for the extended route is widely understood in the context of the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Netanyahu is currently subject to an international arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of war crimes. Both France and Spain are signatories to the Rome Statute, the foundational treaty of the ICC. This means that if his plane had landed in either of those countries, he could potentially have faced arrest.
These European nations have been outspoken critics of Israel’s actions in Gaza. President Emmanuel Macron of France, in particular, has been at the forefront of international efforts to recognize a Palestinian state, a stance that has put him at odds with Netanyahu’s government.
To illustrate this, an image depicting the ‘Wing of Zion’ on a runway highlights that the Israeli government aircraft flew through the Strait of Gibraltar, bypassing French or Spanish airspace.
While the ‘Wing of Zion’ initially followed a standard trajectory over Greece and Italy—both also signatories to the Rome Statute—it then sharply diverted south, bypassing French airspace entirely and continuing over the Strait of Gibraltar to avoid Spain. French diplomats confirmed that Israel had indeed requested and received permission to fly through their airspace but were not informed why the Israeli prime minister ultimately chose not to use it. This unusual diplomatic maneuver underscores the delicate and increasingly complex legal and political landscape surrounding the Israeli leadership amidst the Gaza conflict.