GUEST RTL – Arrest warrant against Netanyahu: why has France backpedaled?

A few days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Benyamin Netanyahu, the Quai d'Orsay published a press release this Wednesday, November 27, to indicate that the Israeli Prime Minister benefits of an “immunity” because Israel has not ratified the Rome Statute on which the Hague Court was founded. However, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot had first promised to respect France’s commitments vis-à-vis the ICC.

Why such a turnaround? According to Georges Malbrunot, senior reporter for Figaro and guest of RTL, “the ceasefire in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah” changed the situationespecially since “France and the United States are negotiating behind the scenes for this agreement”. According to an Israeli source cited in a Haaretz article, when Netanyahu learned of the French position regarding his arrest warrant, he refused to allow France to participate in the ceasefire negotiations. “It’s a safe bet that he bargained for his immunity against a place reserved for France on the monitoring committee of this agreement”, estimates Georges Malbrunot.

“A very evolving conception of international law”

The State would therefore not respect the ICC decision in the name of diplomacy. “France risks being accused of having a very evolving conception of international law. This is part of the realities international relations“, estimates the editorialist.

This position of Paris contrasts with that of other European countries, such as Italy and the United Kingdom, which have assured that they will respect the arrest warrant if the Israeli head of government put one foot on their ground. “This shows that these two countries are not involved in the negotiations on Lebanon,” concludes the major reporter.

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