Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas Leaders Face ICC Arrest Warrants
TEL AVIV — In a fiery response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor for seeking arrest warrants for him and Hamas’s leaders over alleged war crimes in the Gaza conflict.
Netanyahu vehemently rejected any comparison between “democratic Israel” and what he termed as “mass murderers”.
US President Joe Biden echoed Netanyahu’s sentiments, emphasizing that there was no equivalence between Israel and Hamas.
The chief ICC prosecutor, Karim Khan, asserted that there were valid grounds to believe that Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant held criminal responsibility for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
The ICC has also requested a warrant for Hamas’s leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, for war crimes.
Israel and the US, its key ally, are not members of the ICC, which was established in 2002.
The allegations against the Israeli and Hamas leaders stem from the events of 7 October, when waves of Hamas gunmen initiated an attack on Israel, resulting in approximately 1,200 casualties and 252 hostages taken back to Gaza. This attack sparked the ongoing conflict, leading to the deaths of at least 35,500 Palestinians in Gaza, as reported by the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
On Monday, Biden reiterated that there was “no equivalence — none — between Israel and Hamas”.
“It’s evident that Israel is committed to ensuring civilian protection,” Biden emphasized.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken echoed the president’s stance, denouncing the move as “shameful” and asserting that the ICC had no jurisdiction in this matter.
Blinken further cautioned that the request for arrest warrants could impede ongoing efforts to secure a ceasefire agreement.
Khan also sought arrest warrants for Gallant and Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh, along with the group’s military chief Mohammed Deif.
He alleged that Israel’s prime minister and defense minister were involved in crimes such as using starvation as a method of warfare, murder, directing attacks against civilians, and extermination.
The prosecutor stated that the alleged crimes began “from at least 7 October 2023” in the case of the Hamas leaders, when the group launched its attack on Israel, and “from at least 8 October 2023” for the Israeli leaders.
Defending its position, the ICC maintained that despite “significant efforts”, no evidence had been received to demonstrate genuine action at the domestic level in Israel to address the alleged crimes or individuals under investigation.
A panel of judges at the ICC will now deliberate on whether to issue the warrants, and if approved, countries signed up to the ICC statute are obligated to arrest the individuals if given the opportunity.
Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, decried the attempt to secure his arrest as “absurd and false”.
In a public statement in Hebrew, he questioned the audacity of the ICC in daring to compare Hamas and Israel, labeling the comparison as a distortion of reality.
Accusing the prosecutor of fueling global antisemitism, Netanyahu condemned the move as callous.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz condemned Khan’s actions as an “unrestrained frontal assault” on the victims of the 7 October attacks, branding it a “historical disgrace”.
While some of Israel’s Western allies refrained from directly criticizing the ICC, others expressed support for the court’s efforts against impunity.
In a late statement on Monday, the French foreign ministry affirmed its backing for the ICC and its fight against impunity in all situations.
Similarly, Germany’s foreign ministry acknowledged the ICC’s independence and procedures, though it criticized the simultaneous publication of charges against Israeli and Hamas leaders for creating an impression of equivalency. — BBC
