EU says International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Netanyahu must be enforced

Lhe head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, affirmed that the arrest warrants issued Thursday by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, his former Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, and the leader Hamas soldier, Mohammed Deif, had to be “applied”.

“This is not a political decision. It is a decision of a court, of a court of justice, of an international court of justice. And the court’s decision must be respected and applied,” Mr. Borrell said during a press conference in Amman with his Jordanian counterpart, Aymane Safadi.

The ICC issued arrest warrants on Thursday against Messrs Netanyahu and Gallant “for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed at least from October 8, 2023 until May 20, 2024”. It also issued an arrest warrant against Mohammed Deif, head of the armed wing of Palestinian Hamas “for crimes against humanity and alleged war crimes committed in the territory of the State of Israel and the State of Palestine since at least October 7, 2023,” the date of Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel from Gaza, which sparked the current war.

The ICC’s decision theoretically limits Binyamin Netanyahu’s travel, since any of the Court’s 124 member states would be obliged to arrest him on its territory. “This decision is binding, and all States, all States parties to the Statute of the Court, including all members of the European Union, are required to implement this decision of the Court,” Mr. Borrell said. .

Mr Borrell, a former Spanish minister, is due to leave office next month and will be replaced by former Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.