Overview

• Israel’s government Boeing 767-300ER known as the Wing of Zion (registration 4X-ISR) routed from Tel Aviv to New York via the Strait of Gibraltar, avoiding long stretches of European airspace.
• The routing was chosen to reduce the chance of an emergency diversion to Rome Statute states that could seek to act on the ICC arrest warrant issued for Benjamin Netanyahu in November 2024.
• France and Spain were cited in reporting as key concerns for potential enforcement, though the flight did overfly southern Greece and Italy before turning south.
• Netanyahu is traveling to deliver a UN General Assembly speech in New York and to meet President Donald Trump, with the United States not party to the Rome Statute.
• Israel offered no public explanation for the detour; a French diplomatic source said Paris had approved an overflight request but the Israeli flight opted for another route.