The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged “war crimes”.
The court said on Thursday that there were “reasonable grounds” to believe Netanyahu and Gallant “intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival”.
The ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif for alleged “crimes against humanity and war crimes”. Israel said in August that Deif was killed in an air strike in southern Gaza.
ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan first applied for the warrants six months ago. In August, Khan called on the court to make a decision, saying, “Any unjustified delay in these proceedings detrimentally affects the rights of victims.”
Since the decision was announced, Israeli officials have slammed the warrants, with Israeli Transportation Minister Miri Regev referring to them as “modern anti-Semitism in the guise of justice”.
Here are some of the key reactions to the ICC decision:
Israel
Netanyahu’s office rejected the decision and described the move as “anti-Semitic” in a statement.
“Israel rejects with disgust the absurd and false actions levelled against it by ICC,” his office said, adding Israel won’t “give in to pressure” in defence of its citizens.
In separate comments, Netanyahu’s office said the decision was comparable to “the modern-day Dreyfus trial – and it will end in the same way,” referring to Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish army captain who was wrongly convicted of treason in France.
Israel’s former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant also released a statement saying that he was actually proud of the privilege he had in leading Israel’s security and defence systems during a time of war.
Gallant also went on to say that Israel will continue this war until all of the objectives are met and Netanyahu had said the same thing – that until Israel accomplishes all of its military goals for this war, the fighting will continue.
Israel’s ambassador to the UN expressed outrage at the ICC’s arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant.
Speaking to Israel’s Arutz Sheva media on Friday, ambassador Danny Danon called the ICC warrants “a shameful and political decision”.
“We need to speak with our allies and move forward with a decision to boycott the ICC and anyone who cooperates with it,” said Danon.
Hamas
The group welcomed the decision to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, calling it an “important step towards justice”.
“[It’s] an important step towards justice and can lead to redress for the victims in general, but it remains limited and symbolic if it is not supported by all means by all countries around the world,” Hamas political bureau member Basem Naim said in a statement.
Hamas also called on the ICC to expand its scope to other Israeli officials.
The group did not mention the warrant for Deif.
People in Gaza
Reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud said that residents remained sceptical.
“It is taken with a little bit of scepticism… again, we know the unwavering American support [for Israel],” he said.
“So people are very suspicious of the outcome of this arrest warrant and say that it might be challenged by the US administration, whether it is the [current] one or the [incoming administration], which has also vowed support to Israeli officials.”
Palestinian Authority
The Palestinian Authority, which governs the occupied West Bank, said “the ICC’s decision represents hope and confidence in international law and its institutions”.
It urged ICC members to enforce “a policy of severing contact and meetings’ with Netanyahu and Gallant.
Jordan
Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said the ICC’s decision must be respected and implemented. “Palestinians deserve justice,” he said.
United States
“The ICC issuance of arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is outrageous,” President Joe Biden said in a statement.
“Let me be clear once again: whatever the ICC might imply, there is no equivalence – none – between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security.”
The White House also expressed concern over “the Prosecutor’s rush to seek arrest warrants and the troubling process errors that led to this decision”.
“The United States has been clear that the ICC does not have jurisdiction over this matter,” a National Security Council spokesperson said.
US senator Bernie Sanders however, said he supported the ICC’s arrest warrants for Netanyahu, forGallant, and Hamas military commander Deif, saying “all launched indiscriminate attacks against civilians and caused unimaginable human suffering”.
“If the world does not uphold international law, we will descend into further barbarism,” he said in a post on X, alongside a longer statement.
“I agree with the ICC,” Sanders added.
Canada
“It’s really important that everyone abide by international law,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, adding Canada would abide by rulings of international courts.
South Africa
In a statement, the government welcomed the ICC decision and said it marked a “significant step towards justice for crimes against humanity and war crimes in Palestine”.
“South Africa reaffirms its commitment to international law and urges all state parties to act in accordance with their obligations in the Rome Statute,” it said.
“We call on the global community to uphold the rule of law and ensure accountability for human rights violations.”
European Union
Foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the ICC warrants were not political and should be respected and implemented.
“This decision is a binding decision and all states, all state parties of the court, which include all members of the European Union, are binding to implement this court decision,” he said.
The Netherlands
Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said that his country “respects the independence of the ICC”.
“We won’t engage in non-essential contacts and we will act on the arrest warrants. We fully comply with the Rome Statute of the ICC,” he added.
France
France would act “in line with the ICC’s statutes”, said Christophe Lemoine, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
However, he declined to say whether France would arrest Netanyahu if he came to the country, saying it was “legally complex”.
Norway
Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said, “It is important that the ICC carries out its mandate in a judicious manner. I have confidence that the court will proceed with the case based on the highest fair trial standards.”
Ireland
Prime Minister Simon Harris said the warrants “an extremely significant step”.
He added that Ireland respects the ICC’s role and that anyone in a position to assist it in carrying out its vital work must do so “with urgency.”
Italy
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Rome would consider with allies how to interpret the decision and act together. “We support the ICC … the court must play a legal role and not a political role,” he added.
Sweden
Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said Sweden and the EU “support the court’s important work and protect its independence and integrity”. Swedish law enforcement authorities decide on the arrest of subjects of ICC warrants on Swedish territory, she added.
Hungary
Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto condemned the ICC decision, calling it “shameful and absurd”, presidential spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs reported on X.
“This decision disgraces the international judiciary by equating leaders of a country attacked by a heinous terror attack with the leaders of the terrorist organization responsible,” Szijjarto said, adding, “Such a decision is unacceptable.”
On Friday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose country holds the EU’s rotating presidency, has said he would invite his Israeli counterpart Netanyahu to visit and defy the ICC arrest warrant.
Orban called the ICC’s decision “outrageously brazen and “cynical”, saying it “intervenes in an ongoing conflict… dressed up as a legal decision, but in fact for political purposes”.
“There is no choice here, we have to defy this decision,” the nationalist leader said in his weekly interview with state radio.
United Kingdom
Britain respects the independence of the ICC, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer said without confirming whether Britain would uphold the warrants.
Belgium
“The fight against impunity wherever crimes are committed is a priority for Belgium, which fully supports the work of the [ICC]”, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on X.
“Those responsible for crimes committed in Israel and Gaza must be prosecuted at the highest level, regardless of who committed them.”
Austria
Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg called the warrant incomprehensible and ludicrous, but his office also said as a party to the Rome statutes Austria was obliged to implement ICC arrest warrants.
Switzerland
The Swiss Federal Office of Justice said it is obliged to cooperate with the ICC under the Rome Statute and would therefore have to arrest Netanyahu, Gallant or Masri if they entered Switzerland and initiate extradition to the court.
Argentina
President Javier Milei said on X that his country “declares its deep disagreement” with the decision.
He wrote that the warrant “ignores Israel’s legitimate right to self- defence against the constant attacks by terrorist organisations like Hamas and Hezbollah”.
Turkey
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the ICC arrest warrant was a “hopeful” and crucial step in bringing to justice Israeli authorities who committed “genocide” against Palestinians.
“We will continue to work to ensure that international law is implemented to punish genocide,” Fidan added.
United Nations
Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN chief Antonio Guterres has said that “the secretary-general respects the work and independence of the International Criminal Court,” when asked about arrest warrants issued for Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Gallant.
When asked by the Anadolu news agency whether Israeli officials with arrest warrants will be able to participate in UN events at its New York headquarters, Dujarric said he wouldn’t comment on “hypothetical” situations.
“Any travel by anyone who’s indicted by the ICC would also involve the state in which UN conference or UN headquarters are located,” he said.
Francesca Albanese, the UN’s special rapporteur on Palestine, called the ICC arrest warrants a “rare moment of euphoria”.
“I want to acknowledge the innumerable victims of too many wars on Gaza, and the indomitable work of Palestinian HR orgs … without whom the hope brought about by the ICC decision today, would have not come,” she said.
Amnesty International
The human rights organisation said on X that the “wheels of international justice have finally caught up with those alleged to be responsible for war crimes & crimes against humanity in Palestine and Israel”.
“There can be no ‘safe haven’ for those alleged to have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity,” it added.
Human Rights Watch
“The ICC arrest warrants against senior Israeli leaders and a Hamas official break through the perception that certain individuals are beyond the reach of the law.”
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