Israel incensed over demand for arrest orders
The top legal official at the International Criminal Court has applied for warrants to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Joav Gallant. This move has infuriated members of the cabinet.
Israel responds strongly to the issuance of arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Joav Gallant at the International Criminal Court. War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz views this action as a "crime of epic proportions." He argued that equating Israeli leaders, who are determined to defend their country against despicable terror, with the leaders of a bloodthirsty terrorist organization (Hamas) is a complete misrepresentation of justice and a glaring moral breakdown.
Far-right Israeli politician Bezalel Smotrich, responsible for finance and settlement construction in the occupied Palestinian territories under the Netanyahu administration, likened the motion to Nazi propaganda and spoke of "anti-Semitism."
The prosecutor had also sought an arrest warrant for Hamas leader Ja'abari Sinwar and two other Hamas officials related to the October 7, 2023 attacks against Israel. A Hamas representative denounced this decision, calling it a case where "victims and perpetrators" are equated. The ICC judges in charge of the investigation must now decide whether there's enough evidence to issue warrants.
The prosecutor accuses the Hamas leaders of crimes against humanity, including extermination, murder, hostage-taking, rape, and torture. It is believed that Sinwar and Deif have been hiding in Hamas' underground tunnel system in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the Gaza conflict over seven months ago.
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- This move by the International Criminal Court to seek arrest warrants for war crimes, including against Hamas leader Ja'abari Sinwar, has further escalated the Middle East conflict between Israel and Palestine.
- Critics of the ICC's decision argue that equating Israeli leaders, who are defending their country from terror organizations like Hamas, with war criminals is unfair and a misrepresentation of justice.
- Palestinian groups, like Hamas, have denounced the proposed arrest warrants as another example of the court's bias against them and a failure to hold Israel accountable for its actions in the Gaza Strip and other occupied territories.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Joav Gallant's defense against the war crimes charges at the International Criminal Court has become a major focus of the ongoing controversy in the Middle East conflict.
Source: www.ntv.de
