The International Criminal Court announced in a statement on its website that the court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the dismissed Minister of War Yoav Gallant for war crimes committed in the Gaza War.
The statement reads: “The arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant were issued for war crimes committed from at least October 8, 2023 to May 20, 2024, the date on which the Prosecutor submitted a request in this regard.”
The International Criminal Court also rejected the Israeli regime’s claims of “lack of jurisdiction” over the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant.
The statement from the Hague court states: “The International Criminal Court has found compelling evidence that Mr. Netanyahu, born October 21, 1949, and Mr. Gallant, born November 8, 1958, are responsible for crimes they jointly committed. These crimes include the use of famine as a method of warfare, crimes against humanity, murder, persecution and inhumane acts.”
The court emphasized: “Netanyahu and Gallant are each criminally responsible for the war crime of intentionally targeting a civilian population.”
The statement from the International Criminal Court in this regard explicitly refers to the deprivation and lack of access of Gaza residents to necessities such as food, water, medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity, and emphasizes that this is only part of the charges against Netanyahu and Gallant.
The International Criminal Court’s ruling has been met with strong reactions from the United States. Political figures in the country have threatened that any European country that tries to execute this arrest warrant will be subject to US economic sanctions. On the other hand, some European countries have announced that they will adhere to this warrant. Meanwhile, Hungary, which has an extremist president, announced that it has invited Netanyahu to its country and does not recognize this arrest warrant.
This ruling by the International Court of Justice was published after repeated attempts by the US and Israel to prevent the issuance of the warrant by threatening and boycotting the judges of this court. In the most recent action, Karim Ahmed Khan, the Prosecutor General of the International Criminal Court, was accused of sexual abuse, and after it was determined that these accusations were unfounded, the Court issued a ruling regarding the arrest of Netanyahu and Gallant. In the past, the US had also prevented the previous Prosecutor General of the Court from attending the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly.
In America’s view, international mechanisms should only work in the interests of this country, and any action contrary to this will lead to sanctions, threats, and repeated filings against the relevant organization and its agents. In addition, issuing such a ruling indicates the loss of international political legitimacy for the Zionist regime, which has been continuing its crimes against humanity and genocide in Gaza for years under the guise of “Holocaust victims.”
