Here's Why Netanyahu Took A Lengthy Detour to New York 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's flight to New York on September 25, 2025, took a significantly longer, southern detour over the Mediterranean and Atlantic, a move officials attribute to precautions against a potential arrest related to an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant.

The prime minister's aircraft departed from Ben Gurion Airport and followed an unusual flight path that took it through Greek and Italian airspace before crossing the Atlantic Ocean. This route deliberately avoided the standard, more direct path that typically traverses France and other European nations.

The decision to take the extended journey stems from the risk that an emergency landing in an ICC member state could trigger a legal obligation for that country to enforce the arrest warrant issued against Netanyahu in November 2024. The warrant concerns alleged war crimes related to the war in Gaza.

Choosing to fly over Greece and Italy and then around the Iberian Peninsula adds considerable time and fuel consumption to the trip but minimizes the risk of the plane being grounded in a country legally bound to detain the Israeli leader. Most European nations are signatories to the Rome Statute, which established the ICC, and are therefore required to cooperate with the court's demands, including arrest warrants.

Despite the highly cautious decision, a French diplomatic source confirmed that the Israeli government had been granted overflight approval to cross French territory. However, Israeli officials still opted for the alternative route, suggesting that the risk of a technical stop or emergency landing was deemed too high, even with prior permissions. The extended flight path is a tangible demonstration of the legal and political isolation facing the prime minister in parts of the international community. His travel logistics are now dictated by the need to evade the jurisdiction of the global body, fundamentally changing how the Israeli leader travels to major international gatherings, such as the UN General Assembly in New York.