The Israeli Prime Minister announced Benjamin Netanyahu He will not recognize the decision International Criminal Court Which requires the arrest of him and the former Minister of Defense Yoav Galantagainst the background of committing War crimes and crimes against humanity And using hunger as a weapon Gaza StripWhile the Public Prosecution is studying… Israel Legal steps to respond to court decisions.
According to the court’s decision, which does not have police personnel to implement it, its member states became legally obligated to arrest Netanyahu and Gallant if they entered their territories, and hand them over to the International Criminal Court to take legal measures against them.
Netanyahu said in a press conference, “Today is a black day in the history of peoples, and the court was established to defend humanity and has turned into its enemy.”
Netanyahu believed that the court’s decision was a moral bankruptcy and harmed democratic countries and their right to self-defense, as he described it.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office also considered the International Criminal Court’s decision “Anti-Semitic“, saying that
“Israel rejects with disgust the measures and accusations directed against it by the International Criminal Court, which it described as ridiculous and false.”
In turn, he spoke The Israeli occupation army He expressed serious concerns about secret arrest orders against his soldiers and officers.
Haaretz newspaper quoted Israeli military officials as concerned that the arrest orders would set a precedent that would lead to the issuance of arrest warrants against other high-ranking military figures and soldiers who participated in the war or in its decisions.
Escalation steps
In a related context, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority said that the Council of Ministers called for tightening dealings in the Gaza Strip after arrest orders from the International Criminal Court against Netanyahu and Gallant.
The Council of Ministers also called for imposing sanctions on Palestinian Authority and restricting humanitarian aid.
The authority quoted Israeli officials as saying that the arrest orders were a purely political plan that crossed all red lines, as they put it.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority quoted the Attorney General as saying that Israel is studying its next legal steps in response to the International Criminal Court decisions, including steps to change the decision on the arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant.
The Commission quoted officials as saying that the best opportunity is to open an urgent, serious and independent investigation into whether Israel has adhered to international rules in Its war on GazaIn the words of these officials.
The Hebrew channel Kan said that over the past few days, Israel has begun to formulate recommendations and ideas about the measures and penalties that must be taken against the International Criminal Court, in preparation for submitting them to the administration of the US President-elect. Donald Trump.
Cancel visit
Diplomatically, Israel canceled a scheduled visit by Dutch Foreign Minister Kasper Veldkamp, after his country supported the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue an arrest warrant against Netanyahu and Gallant.
Israeli Channel 12 said that the Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar He canceled Feldkamp’s visit to Tel Avivafter it was scheduled for next Monday, in response to the endorsement Amsterdam International criminal decision.
The Dutch Foreign Minister said that his country would arrest Netanyahu if he entered its territory, in implementation of the arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court.
Veldkamp confirmed, in a statement in the Dutch House of Representatives, that he respects the decision of the International Criminal Court.
On May 20, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court requested Karim KhanTwo arrest warrants were issued against Netanyahu and Gallant for their responsibility for “war crimes and crimes against humanity” committed by the Israeli army in its war on Gaza since October 7, 2023.
With American support, since October 7, 2023, Israel has been waging a war on Gaza that has left more than 148,000 Palestinians martyred and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 10,000 missing, amid massive destruction andfamine It killed dozens of children and the elderly, in one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world.