An arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday called into question the global standing of the U.S. ally, more than a year after it launched a devastating war in Gaza.
The warrant, which was also issued to former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas military commander Mohamed Deif, created a diplomatic dispute between countries sworn to support the International Criminal Court and those sworn to oppose it. I drew a boundary line.
Netanyahu faces charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for leading his homeland’s attack on the Palestinian enclave, but is unlikely to be handcuffed anytime soon as long as he avoids traveling to Ireland and the Netherlands. If they come, I’ll arrest them.
In contrast, Hungary has promised not to arrest Israeli leaders. Its powerful leader, Viktor Orban, sent a letter condemning the decision and invited Netanyahu for an official visit, during which Netanyahu promised to “ensure your safety and freedom.”
The Israeli leader praised Hungary for showing “moral clarity and fortitude on the side of justice and truth” “just like our friends in the United States”. He contrasted this with what he called “the shameful weakness of those who went along with outrageous decisions.”
The White House said Thursday that President Joe Biden’s administration is “deeply concerned by the rush by prosecutors to seek an arrest warrant and the troubling procedural errors that led to this decision.”
Neither Israel nor the United States recognizes the jurisdiction of the ICC, which is based in The Hague, Netherlands, and there is no police force to enforce its warrants.
According to the Rome Statute that created the ICC, its signatories are obliged to execute arrest warrants regardless of the rank of the defendant. However, most governments also adhere to the international law principle that heads of state have legal immunity from other courts.
The court said in a statement that it had reason to believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu and Mr. Gallant used “starvation as a weapon of war” by restricting humanitarian aid and intentionally targeting civilians in Israel’s Gaza operation. Ta. Israeli officials’ accusations were dismissed as false and anti-Semitic.
The arrest warrant was announced on the same day that the death toll in the Palestinian enclave surpassed 44,000, according to local officials, and amid growing international condemnation of the dire humanitarian situation in the enclave. The World Health Organization has warned that northern Gaza is at imminent risk of famine, while health agencies have determined that hundreds of thousands of children need to be vaccinated against polio in recent months.
Israel launched the operation in response to the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack, which Israeli authorities said killed about 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages, ending a decades-long conflict. has intensified significantly.
Mohammed Deif is accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes, including for his role as the mastermind of the October 7 attack.
Some European countries, including many Israeli allies, have not said whether they would arrest Netanyahu if he visits.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesman said Britain respects the independence of the ICC, but did not say whether Britain would arrest Netanyahu.
France reiterated its commitment to the tribunal’s independence and said its response would be in line with the tribunal’s regulations, but a Foreign Ministry spokesperson did not say how Paris would act.
The German government has vowed to “carefully consider” its next steps, citing Germany’s role in drafting the ICC Statute as well as its relationship with Israel.
Other countries, including Sweden and Norway, also did not take a stance.
While both the Austrian and Czech governments have pledged to uphold their obligations to the ICC, some governments appear to be divided, with senior officials criticizing the arrest warrant.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala called the ICC’s decision “unfortunate” and told X-TV late Thursday that it “equates the elected representatives of democratic countries with the leaders of Islamist terrorist organizations.” “This would undermine the authority of the ICC in other cases as well.” Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said the warrants being issued were ridiculous.
Middle Eastern countries also praised and supported the court. South Africa has similarly condemned Israel’s genocide in the Gaza Strip at the International Court of Justice. Israel and the United States deny these charges.
Pope Francis, in comments that amount to some of his clearest criticism yet of Israel’s actions issued on Sunday, said the international community should study whether Israel’s military operations in Gaza amount to genocide of Palestinians. suggested that it should.
Netanyahu and two other Israelis with arrest warrants join a group that includes Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has been the subject of an ICC arrest warrant since last year on suspicion of war crimes in Ukraine.
Reuters, Nancy Ing and Andy Eckert contributed.
