Quds News Network

Occupied Palestine (Quds News Network)- Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, has criticized countries that allowed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wanted by the ICC, to fly over their airspace en route to the US, suggesting they may have violated their obligations under international law. “The governments of Italy, France, and Greece must explain why they provided airspace and safe passage to ICC-wanted Benjamin Netanyahu, whom they are obligated to arrest,” Albanese wrote in a post on X. “Italian, French and Greek citizens deserve to know that every political action violating the int'l legal order, weakens and endangers all of them. And all of us,” she added. The countries, which are all parties to the Rome Statute, are “obligated to arrest” the Israeli prime minister. The three countries are signatories of the Rome Statute, the treaty that established The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2002, which last year issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza. The crimes include using “starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.” The United States, which is currently hosting Netanyahu, is not a party to the statute. In June, the Trump administration announced sanctions against ICC officials, naming four judges whom it accuses of taking “illegitimate and baseless actions” against the US and its allies, including Israel.

The governments of Italy, France, and Greece must explain why they provided airspace and safe passage to ICC-wanted Benjamin Netanyahu, whom they are obligated to arrest. Italian, French and Greek citizens deserve to know that every political action violating the int'l legal… https://t.co/gfcAZQOOFi
— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) July 9, 2025

This is not the first time ICC-wanted Netanyahu has flown over and traveled to countries that are parties to the Statute. In February, Netanyahu also travelled to the US. In April, Netanyahu visited Hungary’s leader Viktor Orban in Budapest, who extended his invitation just one day after the ICC issued the arrest warrant, withdrawing the country’s ICC membership ahead of the Israeli leader’s arrival. From Hungary, Netanyahu then flew to the US for a meeting with Trump, his plane flying 400km (248 miles) further than the normal route to avoid the airspace of several countries that could enforce an arrest warrant, according to Israel’s Haaretz newspaper. European Union countries have been split on the ICC warrant issued for Netanyahu. Some said last year they would meet their ICC commitments, while Italy has said there were legal doubts. France has said it believes Netanyahu has immunity from ICC actions. Last month, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned against a visit by Netanyahu, saying Berlin should “avoid testing” international law in light of the arrest warrant. His comments came in response to a question about Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s statement that Germany would not recognise the ICC’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu. Merz said: “I think it is a completely absurd idea that an Israeli prime minister cannot visit the Federal Republic of Germany.”

Rome Statute Countries Must Explain Allowing ICC-Wanted Netanyahu's Flights Over Their Airspace: UN Expert

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