The International Criminal Court on Thursday issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister and Hamas officials, charging them with crimes in the Gaza war and the October 2023 attacks that triggered Israel’s offensive against Palestine War crimes and crimes against humanity.
The decision makes Netanyahu and others internationally wanted suspects and could further isolate them and complicate efforts to negotiate a ceasefire to end the 13-month conflict. But its actual impact may be limited because neither Israel nor its main ally the United States is a member of the court, and several Hamas officials were later killed in the conflict.
Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders condemned the arrest warrant request by ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan as shameful and anti-Semitic. U.S. President Joe Biden also blasted prosecutors and expressed support for Israel’s right to self-defense against Hamas. Hamas also slammed the request.
“The Chamber found that there were reasonable grounds to believe that the two individuals deliberately and knowingly deprived civilians in Gaza of items necessary for their survival, including food, water, medicines and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity,” said the three The panel of judges unanimously decided to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defense minister Yoav Galante.
The court also issued an arrest warrant for Mohammed Deif, one of the leaders of Hamas. The ICC chief prosecutor also sought arrest warrants for two other senior Hamas figures, Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh, but they were both killed in the clashes.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said in September that it had filed two legal briefs challenging the ICC’s jurisdiction and arguing that the court did not provide Israel with an opportunity to investigate the allegations on its own before applying for a search warrant.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein wrote on It remains “firmly committed to the rule of law and justice” and will continue to protect its citizens from militants.
The ICC is the court of last resort and only prosecutes cases where domestic law enforcement agencies are unable or unwilling to investigate. Israel is not a member of the court. Human rights groups say the country has struggled in the past to investigate itself.
Despite the arrest warrant, it is unlikely that any of the suspects will face a judge in The Hague anytime soon. The court itself does not have police officers to enforce the warrants, instead relying on the cooperation of its member states.
Even so, the threat of arrest could make it difficult for Netanyahu and Galante to travel abroad, even as Russian President Vladimir Putin is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Ukraine. ) recently indicated that he could still visit allies while traveling to Mongolia, one of the court’s member states, without being arrested.
Khan sought arrest warrants in May charging Netanyahu and Galante with murder, intentional attacks on civilians and persecution.
Khan claimed in a statement at the time that Israel had “deliberately and systematically deprived civilians across Gaza of items essential for human survival” by closing crossings into the territory and restricting supplies of essential goods, including food and medicine. .
At the same time, he charged three Hamas leaders – Sinwar, Deif and Haniyeh – with crimes related to the attack on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel , killing about 1,200 people and kidnapping another 250.
“The Chamber has reasonable grounds to believe that Mr. Dave, who was born in 1965 and is the supreme commander of the military wing of Hamas known as the Qassam Brigades, is responsible for crimes against humanity. Murder; torture; and other forms of sexual violence; and war crimes against personal dignity; said.
Prosecutors withdrew their request for an arrest warrant for Haniyeh, who was assassinated in July in what was believed to be an Israeli attack on Iran. Israel also claims to have killed Deif, but Hamas has not confirmed his death. Sinwar, who was promoted to succeed Haniyeh as Hamas leader, was killed in a chance encounter with Israeli troops on the front lines in October.
Rights groups applauded the decision, which came more than six months after Khan made his initial request.
Balkees Jarrah, deputy international justice director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement: “The arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court for senior Israeli leaders and a Hamas official break the impunity that some people enjoy from justice. view.
Israeli opposition leaders strongly criticized the ICC’s move.
Benny Gantz, a retired general and Netanyahu’s political rival, condemned the decision, saying it showed “moral blindness” and was a “historic shame that will never be forgotten.”
Another opposition leader, Yair Lapid, called it a “terrible prize.”
