Netanyahu rebukes potential ICC arrest warrants for Israeli officials as a "repulsive tarnish" on the judicial system.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks during the opening ceremony of Holocaust Remembrance Day may have been a response to reports suggesting that arrest warrants for him and other Israeli officials could be coming from the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.
Reports in the Israeli media have increased in recent weeks about potential arrest warrants being issued for Netanyahu and other government officials over their actions in the Gaza War. However, the ICC has not commented on these rumors.
During his speech Sunday, Netanyahu stressed the importance of the ICC, established in the aftermath of the Holocaust, and called for it to "not undermine" Israel's right to self-defense. He argued that any arrests would be a perversion of justice and historical accuracy.
"Even if Israel is forced to stand alone, we will stand alone, and we will continue to strike our enemies powerfully until victory. Even if we have to stand alone, we will continue to fight human evil," Netanyahu stated.
The ICC declined to provide comment on the possibility of arrest warrants for Israeli officials, citing their policy not to issue public statements about ongoing investigations. However, Prosecutor Karim Khan confirmed in a previous post on their website that they were actively investigating the situation in Palestine, stating that those who violate the law would be held accountable.
Although Israel is not a member of the ICC and rejects its jurisdiction, the court has previously investigated its actions in the occupied Palestinian territories without their consent. Fatou Bensouda, a former prosecutor at the ICC, spent five years conducting a preliminary examination, concluding that war crimes have been or are being committed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. While Bensouda issued the findings, no arrests were made, and she resigned in 2021.
Both Hamas and Israel have been accused of committing war crimes since the Hamas terror attack on Israel on October 7 that left 1,200 people dead and 250 hostages taken. Following Israel's military response to the attack, more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
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Source: edition.cnn.com
