Netanyahu Takes Detour to Avoid ICC Arrest Warrant

(MENAFN) Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu was compelled to take a longer route on his journey to Washington from Budapest, Hungary, to avoid any possibility of an emergency landing in countries that might enforce the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant issued against him.

According to an Israeli report from an Israeli newspaper on Monday, Netanyahu’s plane followed “a flight path about 400 kilometers (248 miles) longer to avoid flying over countries that might enforce the ICC arrest warrant issued against him in the case of an emergency landing.”

“Israel believed that countries like Ireland, Iceland, and the Netherlands could have acted to enforce the warrant,” Haaretz also stated.

The report further revealed that since the beginning of the Israeli conflict with Gaza in October 2023, all of Netanyahu’s flights to the United States have passed through Greece, Italy, as well as France, continuing across the Atlantic Ocean before heading to the US.

Upon arriving in Washington, DC, Netanyahu was met with protests calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and advocating for a prisoner exchange, as noted by Haaretz.

Netanyahu had arrived in Budapest on Thursday for an official visit, in defiance of the ICC’s arrest warrant issued against him for alleged war crimes in Gaza.

After his arrival, the Hungarian government declared its intention to withdraw from the ICC.

The previous November, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu as well as former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

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