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The plane carrying Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Florida for talks with U.S. President Donald Trump passed through the airspace of three countries that are parties to the International Criminal Court, despite an active ICC arrest warrant against the Israeli leader.
Flight tracking data from FlightRadar24 showed Netanyahu’s aircraft, known as “Wings of Zion,” crossed the airspace of Greece, Italy and France before reaching the Atlantic Ocean.
All three countries are signatories to the Rome Statute, which obliges member states to cooperate with ICC arrest warrants.
The route marked a departure from Netanyahu’s previous travel patterns. During a visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly in September, Netanyahu avoided French airspace, traveling only through Greece and Italy.
Israeli officials have previously sought to limit Netanyahu’s exposure to jurisdictions where arrest obligations could theoretically be enforced.
On Nov. 21, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during Israel’s war in Gaza.
Israel rejects the court’s jurisdiction and has dismissed the warrants as politically motivated.
Netanyahu departed Tel Aviv on Sunday for a political visit to the United States, accompanied by his wife Sara and a delegation, according to Israel’s public broadcaster KAN.
His office said Netanyahu is scheduled to meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday, followed by talks with Trump at the president’s Mar-a-Lago residence later the same day.
Israeli media reported that Netanyahu may also meet U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance on Tuesday. Additional meetings with evangelical leaders and members of the U.S. Jewish community are planned in Miami before Netanyahu’s return on Thursday.
Media reports said the talks with Trump are expected to focus on the Gaza ceasefire and a possible transition to the second phase of the agreement, as well as Iran.
The ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, halting nearly two years of Israeli military operations in Gaza that have killed more than 71,200 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured more than 171,200 others since October 2023, according to Palestinian figures.
Israeli army radio reported that relatives of Ran Gvili, the last Israeli captive whose body remains in Gaza, plan to meet Trump to oppose any transition to the second phase of the ceasefire before his remains are returned.
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