France says ICC warrant posed no obstacle to Netanyahu overflight - Reuters

France defended its decision on Thursday to allow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s aircraft to cross French airspace en route to a United Nations meeting, stating that international law does not compel any action despite the existence of an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against him.

The ICC warrant, issued earlier this year, accuses Netanyahu of alleged war crimes related to the conflict in Gaza. While the warrant obliges states that are parties to the Rome Statute to arrest the individual if he steps onto their territory, French officials said that the overflight does not constitute a “territorial presence” that would trigger such a legal requirement.

A French government spokesperson explained that the flight was a transit through French sovereign airspace and that the country’s obligations under the ICC do not extend to aircraft merely passing overhead. The spokesperson added that France continues to respect the ICC’s mandate while also adhering to its own legal framework governing air navigation.

The decision comes as Netanyahu travels to the United Nations to address the Security Council, a trip that has drawn international scrutiny due to the outstanding warrant. French authorities emphasized that the overflight was consistent with standard aviation protocols and that no breach of international law occurred.

France’s position underscores the nuanced legal landscape surrounding ICC warrants and the practicalities of international air travel, indicating that, in this instance, the warrant did not present an obstacle to the prime minister’s scheduled flight.