Israel to Appeal ICC Arrest Warrants for Netanyahu/Gallant
by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Israel will appeal the arrest warrants issued last week by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the Jerusalem Post reports.
The warrants were issued for suspected war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the war in Gaza that was triggered by the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. A third warrant has been issued for Hamas commander Mohammed Deif on similar charges related to the October 7 attack itself.
The arrest warrants were first sought by ICC prosecutor Karim Khan in May. Khan originally requested warrants for Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar as well, but the these two have since been killed by the IDF. Israel has said Deif has also been killed but the warrant against him was issued nonetheless.
The warrants were finally issued by ICC judges on November 20, giving Netanyahu and Gallant until midnight on November 27 to appeal the court’s action. Concerning the charges against Netanyahu and Gallant, the ICC contends there are grounds to believe the two committed the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare as well as crimes against humanity such as murder and persecution.
A statement from Netanyahu’s office condemned the issuance of the arrest warrants as “baseless” and lacking any “factual or legal foundation.” Netanyahu condemned Khan’s original announcement that he would seek the warrants against himself and Gallant as “antisemitic.”
In a statement about the arrest on Saturday, ICC spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah said the judges “step in only when national courts fail to handle cases properly.” Abdallah added: “If there are no genuine investigations or prosecutions, then the court has to investigate and prosecute where the legal conditions are met.”
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