Morales's plane was not forced down, it wasn't allowed in some airspaces and requested landing due to instrumentation issues; it also wasn't searched.

One can also fly from Israel to NY over international waters only adding some 400km to the route.

You'd must pray no emergency landing is ever needed. Probably too much of a risk to take chances.

Specially when half the Israeli population hates your guts (probably a higher proportion among secular Israelis who are likely over-represented among aircraft maintenance personnel) and could accidentally on purpose forget a spanner in the jet engine...

From what I've read the Strait of Gibraltar is covered by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea which guarantees ships and planes that are just traveling through to get from one area of international waters to another area of international waters the right to do so without interference.

Definitely does not work that way.