Israeli authorities fear that the International Criminal Court (ICC), based in The Hague, will issue arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Beniamín Netanyahu this week; the Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant; and the head of the Army, Herzl Halevi; considering that they have not done enough to prevent the violations committed by their troops against Palestinian civilians, reports the Haaretz newspaper.
According to the Israeli newspaper, both the Ministry of Justice and the lawyers of the Israeli army are trying to prevent this from happening and, in addition, Netanyahu, the Minister of Strategic Affairs, Ron Dremes, and countries friendly to Israel, with the United States at the head , are trying to convince ICC Attorney General Karim Khan to delay or even prevent the issuance of the warrants.
Sources in the Israeli government, which Haaretz does not identify, believe that the arrest warrants could be delivered to Netanyahu, Gallant and Halevi one day this week and that lower-ranking officials would not be affected. The arrest warrants would also be directed at Hamas leaders.
Israel, like other countries such as the United States, Russia or Iran, do not recognize the authority of the ICC, but the 123 countries that do recognize it would be obliged to arrest these individuals and hand them over to the Hague court in case they are found guilty. issue an arrest warrant against them and enter their territories.
On the other hand, according to former Israeli deputy attorney general Roy Schondorf, cited by Haaretz, the issuance of arrest warrants could lead to measures against Israel such as an arms embargo or economic sanctions. “We hope that the court (ICC) will refrain from issuing arrest warrants against senior Israeli political and security officials,” Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday.
Netanyahu said Friday that Israel “will never accept any attempt by the ICC to undermine its inherent right to self-defense.” “The threat to capture the soldiers and officials of the only democracy in the Middle East and the only Jewish state in the world is scandalous. We will not bow down to it,” the prime minister posted on the social network Israel’s concerns, as the ICC has not commented on any arrests.
ICC prosecutor Karim Khan noted during a visit to the region in December: “The investigation is progressing at a good pace, with rigor, with determination and with the insistence that we do not act based on emotions but on solid evidence.” “.
The newspaper Haaretz highlights some of the statements made over 206 days by several of the country’s highest officials, such as Katz, who demanded the cutting off of supplies in the Gaza Strip, arguing that “that is what the child murderers deserve.” “. In the 206 days of war, the Israeli army has killed at least 34,488 Palestinians and has brought Gaza to a catastrophic situation, destroying all types of civil infrastructure and basic services. The latest bombings overnight killed 22 people in Rafah, the southern strip, including six women and five children, one of whom was only five days old, according to records and an Associated Press reporter.
The investigation that would lead the ICC to order the arrests was launched three years ago into possible war crimes committed by Israel and Palestinian fighters dating back to the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas. The case also looks into Israel’s construction of settlements in occupied territories that the Palestinians want for a future state.
The case before the ICC is separate from another genocide case brought against Israel before the International Court of Justice, also based in The Hague. The ICJ is a United Nations court that deals with disputes between states, while the ICC is a treaty-based criminal court that focuses on individual criminal responsibility for war crimes.
