Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's official plane, Wing of Zion, took off early Thursday from Israel on its way to the UN General Assembly in New York to participate in the world leaders' annual General Debate – but its flight path has drawn particular attention.
Unlike the usual route that passes over many countries in central and northern Europe, the plane adhered to the most southern course possible.
According to flight tracking data, so far the plane passed solely through the airspace of Greece and Italy, then continued westward toward the Atlantic Ocean through the Strait of Gibraltar – without crossing any other foreign territory. This constituted an unusual step that pointed to the delicate political and legal situation of the prime minister.
The plane did not pass through countries that have not explicitly rejected the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant against Netanyahu, possibly over concern that certain European states might take action against Netanyahu following recent calls to enforce those international warrants.
Aviation experts noted that such a course is particularly unusual since it extends the flight by about 600 kilometers (373 miles) and creates operational constraints, but in this case the security and legal considerations appear to outweigh other concerns.
As it entered the Atlantic Ocean through the Strait of Gibraltar, Wing of Zion was expected to continue directly west toward the east coast of the United States, where Netanyahu will land ahead of his scheduled speech at the UN General Assembly in New York.
