International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Israel’s Netanyahu, Gallant
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant are now the subject of arrest warrants.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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AMSTERDAM – The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Nov 21 issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant, as well as Hamas’ military chief Mohammed Deif.
“The Chamber issued warrants of arrest for two individuals, Mr Benjamin Netanyahu and Mr Yoav Gallant, for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least Oct 8, 2023, until at least May 20, 2024, the day the prosecution filed the applications for warrants of arrest,” the Hague-based ICC said in a statement.
A warrant had also been issued for Deif, it added.
Mr Netanyahu rejected the ICC’s action, describing it as “anti-Semitic”.
“Israel rejects with disgust the absurd and false actions levelled against it by ICC,” he said in a statement, adding that Israel will not “give in to pressure” in the defence of its citizens.
He labelled it “a modern-day Dreyfus trial”.
“The anti-Semitic decision of the International Criminal Court is comparable to the modern-day Dreyfus trial – and it will end in the same way,” Mr Netanyahu said, referring to the 19th century Alfred Dreyfus affair in which a Jewish army captain was wrongly convicted of treason in France.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the ICC has “lost all legitimacy”.
“This is a dark moment for the ICC,” Mr Saar wrote on social media platform X.
“The body calling itself a ‘court’ issued absurd orders without authority... even though Israel is not a member of the court.”
The Palestinian militant group Hamas welcomed the ICC’s move to have Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant arrested, asking the court to “expand the scope of accountability to all occupation leaders”.
“(It’s) an important step towards justice and can lead to redress for the victims in general, but it remains limited and symbolic if it is not supported by all means by all countries around the world,” Hamas political bureau member Bassem Naim said in a statement.
Warrant also out for Hamas leader
The arrest warrants had been classified as “secret” to protect witnesses and to safeguard the conduct of the investigations, the court said.
“However, the Chamber decided to release the information below since conduct similar to that addressed in the warrant of arrest appears to be ongoing,” the tribunal said. “Moreover, the Chamber considers it to be in the interest of victims and their families that they are made aware of the warrants’ existence.”
The move comes after ICC prosecutor Karim Khan announced on May 20 that he was seeking arrest warrants for alleged crimes connected to the Oct 7, 2023, attack on Israel
The court said Israel’s acceptance of the court’s jurisdiction was not required. Israel has rejected the jurisdiction
Mr Netanyahu sacked Mr Gallant as defence minister on Nov 5. Mr Khan also sought warrants against top Hamas leaders, including Deif, on suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The prosecutor dropped the application for former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Aug 2 “because of the changed circumstances caused by Mr Haniyeh’s death” in Tehran on July 31, the ICC earlier said in a statement.
According to Israel, Deif was killed by a strike on July 13 in southern Gaza, though Hamas denies he is dead.
Since Hamas conducted its Oct 7, 2023, attack, the deadliest in Israeli history, Israel has been fighting a war in Gaza, which the militant group rules.
The war was triggered by the assault on Israel by Hamas militants, a stunning cross-border raid that resulted in the deaths of 1,206 Israelis, mostly civilians.
The Hamas government’s Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip said on Nov 21 at least 44,056 people had been killed in more than 13 months of war between Israel and Hamas.
The toll includes 71 deaths in the previous 24 hours, according to the ministry. AFP, REUTERS
