Palestinians are voicing growing outrage after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu travelled through European airspace unimpeded, despite being wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes committed in Gaza. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, has publicly questioned the actions of Italy, France, and Greece for allowing Netanyahu safe passage.

For a people whose lives are daily shaped by checkpoints, blockades, and airstrikes, the sight of an accused war criminal crossing international skies without fear of arrest feels like a cruel reminder of double standards in international law. Albanese highlighted the contradiction: these three nations are parties to the Rome Statute, the treaty obliging its members to arrest individuals indicted by the ICC. Yet Netanyahu was given a clear path to Washington, where he is meeting with US officials, safe from any accountability.

Her message resonated deeply in Palestine, where the pain of Gaza’s destruction is still raw. Thousands remain displaced, grieving, or scarred by months of relentless bombardment. The ICC’s arrest warrant, issued in November 2024, was seen by many as a rare glimmer of justice. But Europe’s failure to act is being read as complicity, not neutrality.

This is not simply a matter of diplomatic protocol. For Palestinians, it is about whether the world’s legal institutions truly apply to all, or only to some. The silence of European governments speaks volumes. When international law is selectively applied, its credibility collapses, and so does the hope of millions who depend on it for protection.