A United Nations human rights expert has sharply criticized European nations for allowing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to use their airspace en route to the United States, despite an active arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), as reported by Al Jazeera News.
Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, accused Italy, France, and Greece—all signatories to the Rome Statute—of failing their legal obligations by not intercepting Netanyahu’s flight. The ICC, based in The Hague, issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant last year, citing alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
“These governments must explain why they gave safe passage to someone they are obliged to arrest under international law,” Albanese said Wednesday on X. “Citizens deserve to know that violating the international legal order puts everyone at risk.”
Albanese’s remarks followed a post by human rights lawyer Craig Mokhiber, who accused the three nations of showing contempt for both international law and the victims of the Gaza conflict.
Netanyahu’s weekend visit to meet U.S. President Donald Trump—amid ongoing ceasefire talks with Hamas—marked another high-profile trip despite his fugitive status under international law. While the U.S. is not party to the Rome Statute, Italy, France, and Greece are—and are therefore theoretically obligated to arrest anyone under ICC warrant who enters their territory or airspace.
Earlier in the year, Netanyahu avoided countries likely to enforce the warrant, flying circuitous routes over U.S. military bases. Hungary, which withdrew from the ICC just before hosting him in April, was also a strategic stopover before a subsequent trip to Washington.
The episode underscores a broader debate: while ICC member states are bound by treaty to enforce arrest warrants, in practice, geopolitical interests often prevail.
