ICC issues arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant, Deif
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on November 21st for two senior Israeli officials and one major figure in Hamas, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity, according to the Arab News via Reuters.
The warrants are for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas official Mohammed Deif.
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Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders have attacked the warrants as antisemitic.
“The Chamber considered that there are reasonable grounds to believe that both individuals intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity,” the three-judge panel wrote in its unanimous decision to issue warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant.
Israel’s foreign ministry said back in September that it had submitted two legal briefs challenging the jurisdiction of the ICC and arguing that the court didn’t allow Israel the chance to investigate the allegations itself before requesting the warrants.
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“No other democracy with an independent and respected legal system like that which exists in Israel has been treated in this prejudicial manner by the Prosecutor,” foreign ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein wrote on X. He claimed that Israel remained “steadfast in its commitment to the rule of law and justice.”
Israel is not a member of the ICC, and despite the warrants, none of the suspects is likely to face judges in the Hauge. The court lacks an enforcement agency, instead relying on co-operation from those signed up to the Rome statute.
Reuters
