Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel took an unusual and longer route to New York for the U.N. General Assembly meeting, avoiding the airspace of two European countries that have sharply criticized Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza, according to flight tracking data.
The office of Mr. Netanyahu did not provide an explanation for the circuitous route that added about an hour to his flight.
The prime minister is the subject of an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court on war crimes charges related to the Israeli offensive in Gaza. The countries he avoided, France and Spain, are both signatories to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the I.C.C. and could make him subject to arrest if he were to land in their territory.
The European countries have been vocal critics of Israeli policy in Gaza. Mr. Netanyahu has also clashed with President Emmanuel Macron of France, whose government has led global efforts to recognize a Palestinian state over Israeli objections.
According to flight tracking data, Mr. Netanyahu’s plane, the Wing of Zion, began its journey like most flights from Tel Aviv to New York, by passing through the airspace of Greece and Italy. Both countries are also signatories to the Rome Statute.
The Israeli authorities sought and were granted permission to fly through French airspace according to a French diplomat who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the situation. But it avoided the country’s airspace and veered south, taking a longer route that also avoided Spain and passed over the Strait of Gibraltar.
The French diplomat said France had not been told why the prime minister’s plane did not fly over its territory, which is on the typical flight path used whentraveling from Israel to New York.
Liam Stack is a Times reporter who covers the culture and politics of the New York City region.
Adam Rasgon is a reporter for The Times in Jerusalem, covering Israeli and Palestinian affairs.
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