Report: Israel’s ‘Air Force One’ Took 400km Detour to Bypass ICC Compliant Countries

Israel’s Air Force One, officially dubbed ‘Wings of Zion,’ reportedly added 400 kilometers to its Sunday journey from Hungary to Washington to avoid countries that might enforce an International Criminal Court arrest warrant.

According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the plane specifically skirted the airspace of Ireland, Iceland and the Netherlands. All three are nations Israel suspects might act on the ICC warrant issued against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accusing him of “war crimes” in Gaza.

However, any attempt to actually ground Netanyahu’s plane would have been met with resistance. Originally acquired secondhand from Australian airline Qantas, the plane has been transformed into a flying fortress designed specifically to protect Israel’s leadership in potentially hostile environments.

Commissioned in 2014 and completed in 2019 after modifications by Israeli Aerospace Industries, the aircraft reportedly boasts sophisticated defensive systems including Elbit System’s laser-based C-MUSIC that can detect and blind incoming heat-seeking missiles, comprehensive cyber-attack resistance, and secure satellite communications equipment to name just a few.

Netanyahu was in Budapest on an official visit where he was met with a full honor guard by Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Shortly after Netanyahu’s arrival on Thursday, the ICC demanded the Hungarian government arrest him and transfer him to its detention center in The Hague. Rather than comply, Hungary instead announced its withdrawal from the international court.

Shortly afterwards, Belgium also expressed reluctance to enforce such a warrant, with Prime Minister Bart De Wever saying practical considerations take precedence over ethics when it comes to international diplomacy.

‘I don’t think we would do that either, to be completely honest,’ Wever said during a Friday interview with VLT Television. ‘There is such a thing as realpolitik. Within that framework, practical considerations prevail over ethical ones.’

‘I don’t think there is a single European country that would arrest Netanyahu if he were on its territory. France, for example, wouldn’t do that, I don’t think we would either.’”

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