Based in The Hague in the Netherlands, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued three arrest warrants. These warrants theoretically limit the travel of Netanyahu, his former defense minister and the head of Hamas' military wing, since the 124 member states would be obliged to arrest them if they entered their territories.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued this Thursday, November 21, arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and the head of the armed wing of Hamas Mohammed Deif for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Arrest warrants which have been classified “secret”, in order to protect witnesses and guarantee the conduct of investigations. On the other hand, the ICC “considers that it is in the interest of the victims and their families that they are informed of the existence of the warrants.”
An “anti-Semitic decision” according to Netanyahu
The Israeli government has accused the ICC of “lost all legitimacy” with arrest warrants “absurd”. Benjamin Netanyahu compared the arrest warrants to a new “Dreyfus trial”. “The anti-Semitic decision of the International Criminal Court is comparable to a Dreyfus trial today which will end the same way” the Israeli Prime Minister said in a statement.
A dark moment for the International Criminal ״Court״ (ICC) in The Hague, in which it lost all legitimacy for its existence and activity. It acted as a political tool in the service of the most extreme terrorists working to undermine peace, security, and stability in the Middle…
— Gideon Sa'ar | Gideon Saar (@gidonsaar)
On his X account, Gideon Saar, Minister of Foreign Affairs declared: “It’s a dark day for the ICC, which has lost all legitimacy to exist and act”. He adds that the Court “behaved like a political toy in the service of the most extreme elements working to undermine security and stability in the Middle East.”
Hamas welcomes the decision
For its part, Hamas welcomes “an important step towards justice”. Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri, more commonly known as Mohammed Deif, is also the subject of an arrest warrant. Head of the armed wing of Hamas, Israel claims to have killed him during a strike on July 13, while Hamas denies his death.
The prosecutor also dropped the request for arrest warrants against Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip Yahya Sinouar, whose deaths were confirmed.
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