France defended its decision to allow the plane carrying Benjamin Netanyahu to cross its airspace on Thursday. The aircraft was heading to the USA, where the UN meeting is taking place.
The authorities in Paris have conveyed that international law did not require the taking of any measures, despite the existence of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the name of Netanyahu for alleged war crimes in the Gaza Strip.
France is a signatory to the Rome Statute, the founding act of the ICC. According to the country’s administration, the authorities have a formal obligation to cooperate with the court, including by arresting suspects who enter its territory.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pascal Confavreux, told the press that the flight authorization was “in full compliance with international law”, reports hotnews.ro.
“The Rome Statute imposes no obligation regarding the overflight of its territory by a state aircraft carrying a passenger subject to an arrest warrant,” said Confavreux.
Netanyahu cannot travel to several countries due to arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court against him, his former defense minister, as well as the former military commander of Hamas, in 2024.
Israel rejects the jurisdiction of the Hague court and denies committing war crimes in Gaza, where it conducted a military campaign that it claims aimed to eliminate Hamas, following the bloody attack on Israel committed by the Palestinian militant group on October 7, 2023. Israel disputes the arrest warrants issued against Netanyahu and its former Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant.
The Flightradar24 flight tracking application showed that Netanyahu’s plane flew over Greece, Italy, and France.
Last year, Netanyahu used a detour route to New York to avoid the airspace of several European countries, including France.