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Netanyahu is said to be “unusually stressed” that the war crimes tribunal (ICC) may issue an arrest warrant against him.
On Friday, the Israeli Prime Minister wrote on X:
“Under my leadership, Israel will never accept that the ICC is trying to undermine our right to self-defense.”
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The International Criminal Court, also called the war crimes tribunal, may be about to issue an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Army Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi, writes including The Jerusalem Post.
The information has been circulating for some time, but is now said to make Netanyahu “unusually stressed”, according to Israeli media.
On Friday, the Israeli Prime Minister himself wrote on X, formerly Twitter, among other things:
“Under my leadership, Israel will never accept that the ICC is trying to undermine our right to self-defense.”
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full screen Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo: Abir Sultan / TT News Agency
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full screenICC Prosecutor Karim Khan on the left. Photo: Ariana Cubillos/AP
Held crisis meeting
ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan may soon be in the process of ruling on the order, which will cover allegations of suspected war crimes in Gaza, writes Haaretz.
According to the television channel Channel 12, a crisis meeting was already held in mid-April, in which Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Israel Katz and Justice Minister Yariv Levin participated, among others.
Then the group is said to have decided that Israel would turn to both the ICC and other “diplomatic persons of influence” in an attempt to prevent an issuance.
It doesn’t seem to have been enough.
Now diplomats from the US and other countries are working for Khan to postpone the decision, a source told The Jerusalem Post.
“Why is he silent?”
The USA in particular is described as particularly important. Without the support of Israel’s closest allies, the ICC is believed to be unable to act.
On Friday, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson wrote on X that the ICC should “immediately” withdraw a possible arrest warrant because Israel has “the right to defend itself against terrorist organizations.”
But President Joe Biden, on the other hand, has not made a statement.
– Where is Biden? Why is he silent when Israel is potentially going to be thrown under the bus? says the Jerusalem Post’s source.
At the same time, the National Security Council in Israel is working to prevent the plans, writes The Times of Israel.
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full screen Demonstrations against Netanyahu’s government in Jerusalem. Photo: Leo Correa / AP
Famine accusations
Among other things, the work aims to show that Israel supports humanitarian efforts, as part of the ICC accusations are believed to be that Israel “deliberately exposed Palestinians in Gaza to starvation”.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs must also be involved in the work.
– We do what we can, says a diplomat to the newspaper.
An arrest warrant would mean that all countries that have signed (ratified) the Rome Statute have a duty to arrest the accused who travel to the country.
Israel has not ratified the charter, but the Palestinian Authority has.
Therefore, the court considers that it has jurisdiction over what is happening in Gaza.
FACT Background
More than six months have passed since October 7, when Hamas attacked Israel in what is being called the worst massacre of Jews in modern times.
Over 1,100 people, mainly Israelis, were killed and 240 people were kidnapped. Over 130 of them are still believed to be with Hamas in Gaza.
The military invasion that Israel launched shortly afterwards against the Gaza Strip – with the aim of exterminating Hamas and bringing back the hostages – has been very bloody. By Palestinians it is called a new Nakba, catastrophe, just like the expulsion of Palestinians that took place in 1948 when the state of Israel was established.
According to the Hamas-controlled health department in Gaza, over 33,000 Palestinians are estimated to have been killed by Israeli attacks, the majority of them women and children. Over 76,000 have been injured.
The UN has also warned that famine is imminent.
Read moreFACTS International Criminal Court (ICC)
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