Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew through the airspace of several member states of the International Criminal Court (ICC) this week on his way to Washington, prompting critics to accuse those governments of aiding an internationally wanted leader.
Netanyahu left Israel aboard the official government aircraft known as the “Wing of Zion” on Monday, ahead of talks with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday.
Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft passing through the airspace of Greece, Italy and France before crossing the Atlantic, while a widely shared map of the journey indicated that it also entered Canadian airspace on its approach to the US.
Greece, Italy, France and Canada are all parties to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC.
The Hague-based court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu on 21 November 2024, saying there were reasonable grounds to believe that he bore criminal responsibility for the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts in Gaza.
