The International Criminal Court’s ICC arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu means that he should be arrested, for example, in Helsinki-Vantaa.
The International Criminal Court’s ICC arrest warrant for the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu puts him on the same line as the president of Russia Vladimir Putin and with others accused of war crimes, says a senior researcher at the Foreign Policy Institute Timo R. Stewart.
About Netanyahu and Israel’s former defense minister of Yoav Gallant an arrest warrant was issued on Thursday. Stewart believes this will change the way Israel’s actions are discussed.
The ICC issued an arrest warrant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza between October 8, 2023 and May 20, 2024, in which the court suspects Netanyahu and Gallant.
The United States will criticize the decision
Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell said Thursday that ICC arrest warrants should be respected. With the order, Finland and the other 123 member states of the ICC are obliged to arrest Netanyahu and hand him over to the court. Stewart believes that this would also happen if Netanyahu appeared at, for example, Helsinki Airport or Brussels Airport.
– If this didn’t happen, then the credibility of this entire international criminal court in Western countries could be immediately undermined, says Stewart.
The ICC is seen in the world mainly as a tool of the West to chase the leaders of the Global South.
Israel has received direct arms support from, for example, the United States, Germany and Britain. Stewart believes that quite strong statements will be heard from the direction of the United States.
– Especially now that the Republicans have a majority in the Senate and the House of Representatives. In addition Donald Trump returns to the White House.
Hardly changes the relationship between Finland and Israel
The arrest warrant will hardly change the relations between Finland and Israel – at least in long-term politics.
– I would see the problem more in the fact that we are cooperating with a state that maintains an illegal occupation and whose relationship to international law is completely different from Finland’s, says Stewart.
For example, Finland has bought more than one billion euros worth of weapons and defense equipment from Israel in the 2000s.
Stewart reminds that Finland has supported the rule-based world order and international law for decades, because it is in the interest of small states, and it also corresponds to Finns’ sense of justice.
has not been reached by the foreign minister Elina from Valto (collective) to comment on Netanyahu’s arrest warrant.