Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday (Nov. 21) condmened the decision by the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants against him and his former defense minister.
They way both men have allegedly conducted the war is at the center of the prosecution’s accusations.
“This is a black day in the history of nations. The International Court of Justice in The Hague, [Editor’s Note: It is the International Criminal Court which issued the warrants] , which was established to protect humanity, has today become the enemy of humanity,” the Israeli politican said vehemently.
“This biased court has decided to issue arrest warrants against me and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, on the fundamentally unfounded accusation that we have allegedly committed “crimes against humanity,” while the truth is completely the opposite. This is moral bankruptcy. It violates the natural right of democracies to defend themselves against murderous terrorism.”
The ICC panel said there were reasonable grounds to believe that both Netanyahu and his ex-defense minister bear responsibility for the war crime of starvation and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts.
Netanyahu denied the accusations claiming that Israel has provided “hundreds of thousands of tons of food to feed the population” and blamed Hamas for the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.
However, Gaza remains at risk of famine according to the UN and other NGOs despite biding orders issued by the International Court of Justice earlier this year.
The Chamber of the International Crimnal Court, noted that “decisions allowing or increasing humanitarian assistance into Gaza were often conditional. They were not made to fulfil Israel’s obligations under international humanitarian law or to ensure that the civilian population in Gaza would be adequately supplied with goods in need. In fact, they were a response to the pressure of the international community or requests by the United States of America. In any event, the increases in humanitarian assistance were not sufficient to improve the population’s access to essential goods.”
Netanuahy said the arrest warrants will not “deter” him from continuing Israel’s military campaign.
Rights groups and UN agencies have repeatedly said some of Israel’s military moves violated war rules in Gaza.
Israel, like the US or Russia is not a state party to the ICC.
It questioned the jurisdiction of the ICC on the matter but its challenge was rejected.
What’s next?
The decision turns Netanyahu and his former minister into internationally wanted suspects and could further isolate them, putting them at risk of arrest when they travel abroad.
Its practical implications could be limited since Israel and its major ally, the United States have slammed the warrants.
Still, they marked the first time that a sitting leader of a major Western ally has been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity by a global court of justice.
It put Israel’s allies, including some of its closest European friends, in an awkward position.
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The Times of Isreal reported that Netanyahu thanked friends of Israel “led by our friends in the United States” which have “made clear that this decision will have serious consequences for the court and those who will cooperate with it in this matter.”
Several leaders, including France, welcomed the court’s decision and signaled they might arrest Netanyahu if he visited.
The decision came six months after ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan requested the warrants.
