Demonstrators gathered at Ben Gurion Airport on Wednesday evening to protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he departed for the UN General Assembly in New York, reports The Times of Israel. They held up signs with pictures of hostages and urged US President Donald Trump to stop the war in Gaza.
The trip to New York is expected to take longer than necessary. Flight data shows that the plane is avoiding the airspace of most countries, likely due to the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant against the Prime Minister, according to Israeli media.
Netanyahu is traveling to the US to discuss the war in Gaza, meet with President Donald Trump, and speak before the UN General Assembly. During the ongoing UN week, several countries have recently recognized an independent Palestinian state - which, however, will not change Israel's stance on the issue, Netanyahu stated in a statement before his departure on Thursday.
"The shameful capitulation of some leaders to Palestinian terror does not obligate Israel in any way. There will be no Palestinian state," he says.
The United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Portugal are among the latest countries to recognize Palestine as an independent state.
On Thursday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to speak before the General Assembly, however via link as the Palestinian representatives have been denied visas to the US.
