An a ICC blockbuster ruling shocks the military, diplomatic, and legal worlds and seeks to arrest Israeli PM Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
News agencies_ In a blockbuster ruling that shook the military, diplomatic, and legal worlds around the globe, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued on Thursday arrest warrants for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Shaken and with no remorse, Netanyahu reacted on Thursday by condemning the ICC’s decision telling the Israelis “today is a black day” and that the ICC is becoming the “enemy of humanity”!
As usual, on Thursday evening Netanyahu blamed the ICC and the rest of the world by raising false claims that the ruling was “antisemitic” aimed to “deter me, to deter us—from exercising our right to defend ourselves.”
The ruling said that it found “reasonable grounds” to believe that Netanyahu bears criminal responsibility for war crimes including “starvation as a method of warfare” and “the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.”
The warrants mark a historic first, making Netanyahu the first Israeli leader summoned by an international court for war criminal actions against Palestinians in the 76-year occupation of Palestine.
Many Western states have pledged to execute an arrest warrant for both Netanyahu and Gallant. It has become a common sense that anyone, any state or any civil or official organization in the world that deals in anyway with both Netanyahu or Gallant are to be labeled as contributors to and complicit in war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Several nations emphasized their respect for the independence of the international court. The Netherlands, Switzerland, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Belgium, and Norway said they would meet their commitments and obligations under the Rome Statute and international law. Austria also said that it would obey the decision.
Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp assured the country’s parliament that the authorities would act on the warrants and avoid non-essential contacts with those named.
The ICC prosecutor, Karim Khan, initially requested arrest warrants in May, alleging widespread violations during Israel’s military response to Hamas. The court said its Pre-Trial Chamber found “reasonable grounds” to believe the accused were responsible for crimes against humanity, including persecution and inhumane acts.
Speaking to CNN, Eliav Lieblich, a professor of international law at Tel Aviv University, described the ICC’s decision as “the most dramatic legal development in Israel’s history.”
“Its immediate meaning is that the 124 state parties to the ICC, which include most of Israel’s closest allies, would be legally obligated to arrest Netanyahu and Gallant should they be present in their territories,” Lieblich said.
There may also be wider implications, he added, which “could limit the ability of third parties to cooperate with” the Israeli military.
Hamas welcomed the warrants against Israeli officials in a statement.
“This… represents a significant historical precedent. It rectifies a longstanding course of historical injustice against our people and the suspicious negligence of the horrific violations they have endured over 76 years of fascist occupation,” it said, calling for all nations to cooperate in bringing the Israeli leaders to justice and “take immediate action to halt the genocide” in Gaza, according to CNN.
Hamas had condemned the ICC prosecutor’s decision to seek warrants against its leaders in May, saying it was an attempt to “equate victims with aggressors”.
The Health Ministry in Gaza has said that Israel has killed 44,056 people and wounded 104,268 since the start of the war. But the real toll is higher because thousands of bodies are buried under rubble or in areas that medics cannot access as a result of Israel’s targeting ambulance vehicles.
In Lebanon, the death toll from Israeli strikes has surpassed 3,580 people, with more than 15,000 wounded, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.