ICC Issues Arrest Warrant For Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in the war between Israel and Hamas.

Former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas leader Ibrahim al-Masri, who Israel says they have killed, were also issued arrest warrants by the ICC.

Recall that Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, and in retaliation, Israeli have killed thousands of Palestinians in Gaza in the war against Hamas.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has condemned the arrest warrant, describing it as “a dark day in the history of humanity.”

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He also accused the ICC, “which was invented in order to protect humanity, has become today the enemy of humanity.”

Netanyahu further said the arrest warrant was an “antisemitic step that has one goal—to deter me, to deter us from having our natural right to defend ourselves against enemies who try to destroy us.”

Former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, who also has an arrest warrant issued against him by the Hague, said that “Gone are the days when we could be denied the right to defend ourselves.”

“The attempt to deny Israel its right to achieve its goals in its just war will fail.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said the ICC has chosen “the side of terrorism and evil over democracy and freedom and turned the international justice system itself into a human shield for Hamas’ crimes against humanity.”

In an official statement, Hamas called on the ICC to “expand the scope of accountability to all criminal occupation leaders.”

Senior Hamas official Basem Naim described the decision of the ICC as “an important step on the path to justice and bringing justice to the victims, but it remains a limited and spiritual step if it is not backed practically by all countries.”

Global powers such as the United States, Britain, and France have not shown public support for the decision of The Hague, as analysts believe it is more of an empty threat.