Netanyahu’s arrival in Washington was met with a protest demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and a prisoner exchange deal.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was forced to take a longer path on his way to the US from Hungary to avoid any case of emergency landing in countries that would enforce the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against him, Israeli media reported.
Netanyahu welcomed in Washington
Benjamin Netanyahu has arrived in Washington for talks with US President Donald Trump, with discussions expected to centre on Iran, Gaza, and other key issues.
According to reports, to avoid running the risk of being arrested in a country that… pic.twitter.com/0ql8ZvVx3T
— MintPress News (@MintPressNews) April 7, 2025
According to the Israeli daily Haaretz on Monday, cited by the Anadolu news agency, Netanyahu’s plane flew “through 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,” the report added.
It reportedly noted that since the start of Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza, in October 2023, all of Netanyahu’s flights to the US crossed through Greece, Italy, and France to the Atlantic Ocean and then to the US.
When Netanyahu flew to Washington in February he also took an atypical southerly transatlantic route that passed only over Greece, Italy and France (all complicit in genocide). pic.twitter.com/bhEogPTXse
— Ali Abunimah (@AliAbunimah) April 6, 2025
Protest
On his arrival in Washington, DC, Netanyahu was met with a protest demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and a prisoner exchange deal, Haaretz reported
On Thursday, Netanyahu arrived in the Hungarian capital of Budapest on an official visit, defying the ICC’s arrest warrant issued against him over war crimes in Gaza. Following his arrival, the Hungarian government announced its exit from the ICC.
BREAKING:
Protesters shouted “baby killer” as Israeli PM Netanyahu’s motorcade arrived at Blair House in Washington, D.C. for meetings with U.S President Trump tomorrow at the White House. pic.twitter.com/htHmIkOGdP
— Suppressed News. (@SuppressedNws) April 6, 2025
Netanyahu will meet with Trump at the White House at 13h00 US time — 20hoo in Israel. The two will give joint statements in the Oval Office thereafter, the Times of Israel reported. The paper said that after the statements, “a wide-ranging meeting is expected, in which Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff are expected to participate, among other aides.
Last November, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in the besieged enclave.
Over 50,000 Killed
Since October 2023, Israel has killed over 50,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and left Gaza in ruins.
Israel’s renewed airstrikes on March 18 had broken a ceasefire that began on January 19. The latest military actions have killed hundreds of Palestinians and injured many more, primarily civilians, including women and children.
Palestinian journalist Hilmi Al-Faqawi and youth Youssef Al-Khuzundar were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting a journalists’ tent at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
Nine others were injured, including journalists Ahmad Mansour (who was burned alive and is critically… pic.twitter.com/OdGagwxCEE
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) April 7, 2025
While numerous countries and human rights groups have condemned the violations, the US has continued its support for Israel, asserting that the military campaign was carried out with prior knowledge and approval from Washington.
(Anadolu, PC)
What a coward. Any real man would just go and face his accusers. He’s a Jewish Nazi. He endorses Nationalism and Socialism.
2 + 2 = Nazi.