On November 21, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant as well as Hamas leader Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri.
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| ICC headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands. (Source: AP) |
Reuters news agency reported that the ICC announced via its social media account X: "The ICC Court of First Instance has dismissed the State of Israel's claims to jurisdiction and issued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant."
According to the ICC, Israel's acceptance of its jurisdiction is not mandatory.
In theory, the ICC's move restricts Prime Minister Netanyahu's travel rights, because any of the Court's 124 member states is obligated to arrest the head of the Israeli government on their territory.
With this latest arrest warrant, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office stated on the same day: "Israel completely rejects the ICC's unreasonable and false accusations."
On the same day, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also issued a statement on social network X that the ICC "no longer has legitimacy" after issuing arrest warrants for the Prime Minister and former Defense Minister of Israel.
As for Palestine , it welcomed the ICC's arrest warrant, issuing a statement assessing that the Court's decision "demonstrates hope and confidence in international law and the institutions of this legal body."
The statement, carried by the official Wafa news agency, also called on ICC members to implement “a policy of cutting off contacts and meetings with internationally wanted individuals”, including Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant.
On the US side, AFP news agency quoted a White House statement saying that Washington "basically rejects" the ICC's decision.
“We remain deeply concerned about the ICC Prosecutor’s hasty decision to seek an arrest warrant and the procedural flaws that led to this decision,” a National Security Council spokesperson said. “The United States has made clear that the ICC does not have jurisdiction over this matter.”
Meanwhile, many Western countries have voiced their support for the ICC's decision and pledged to enforce the arrest warrant.
According to AFP , the European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell stressed that the ICC's arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials and Hamas leaders "are binding" and must be enforced, stressing that this is not a political decision.
According to him, all countries, "all member states of the ICC - including EU member states - are obliged to enforce this judgment".
On the same day, Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris assessed that the arrest warrants were an important and meaningful step, emphasizing that anyone "with the ability to assist in carrying out the important work of the ICC must act immediately".
Similarly, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Italy, Sweden and Spain all pledged to uphold their commitments and obligations under the Rome Statute and international law. Austria made a similar statement, although its Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said the arrest warrants were unjustified.
Meanwhile, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide stated: "It is important that the ICC carries out its duties with due diligence. I am confident that the court will conduct the case based on the highest standards of fair trial."
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the ICC's arrest warrant was a "hopeful" and extremely important step.
South Africa and Canada also affirmed that they will comply with all regulations and rulings of the international court.
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