Murder, persecution, hunger as a weapon: the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The reactions in Israel were not long in coming. Parts of the government are calling for even more radical action.
In his first response, Netanyahu spoke of an “anti-Semitic decision.” It was done by “biased judges, driven by anti-Semitic hatred of Israel,” his office said in a statement. The move is absurd: Israel will not give in to the pressure and will continue to defend its citizens.
The ICC has lost all legitimacy, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said. The court issued absurd orders without permission. Israeli President Isaac Herzog also called the arrest warrants an absurd decision. “This is a dark day for the judiciary. A dark day for humanity,” he wrote on X.
Calls for annexation of the West Bank
Other parts of the Netanyahu government want to use the new momentum for dark fantasies of omnipotence. Israel’s far-right Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir spoke out in favor of a full annexation of the occupied West Bank in response to the arrest warrants.
The court is “thoroughly anti-Semitic,” Ben-Gvir further wrote
The Islamist Hamas – whose leader was also targeted by the ICC – is celebrating the arrest warrants as a historic step. The decision was an “important historical precedent and a correction of a long line of historical injustices against our people,” Hamas said.
The US tried for months to prevent action against the two “terrorists” Netanyahu and “terrorised” the court and its judges. Hamas called on the International Criminal Court to expand its investigation into “all criminal leaders of the occupation” to ministers and officers who “shed the blood of our Palestinian people.” Hamas did not comment on the arrest warrant for Mohammed Deif.
What’s next?
The ICC does not have its own police force to enforce its arrest warrants and therefore relies on the cooperation of the 124 member states, including Austria. In theory, they are obliged to arrest those they seek as soon as they enter their territory. This could, for example, make it more difficult for Netanyahu to travel to the EU.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called on all member states to respect the international arrest warrant for Netanyahu and others responsible. The ICC ruling is legally binding, Borrell said in the Jordanian capital Ammann. As contracting parties, all EU countries are “obligated to implement the court decision”.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
