'Won't Yield To Pressure: Netanyahu Rejects ICC Arrest Warrants, US Terms It 'Process Error'

Last Updated:November 22, 2024, 08:15 IST

Arrest warrants against Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense chief Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes in Gaza have sparked strong condemnation from Israel and the US.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo: AFP)

Hours after the Criminal Court issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence chief Yoav Gallant, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity for Israel’s actions in Gaza, Netanyahu said the court ruling is “comparable to a modern-day Dreyfus trial"

His remark drew reference from the infamous 19th-century case in which French Jewish army captain Alfred Dreyfus was wrongly convicted of treason.

“The antisemitic decision of the international court in The Hague is a modern Dreyfus trial, and it will end the same way," Netanyahu said in a video message on X.

Further, he said the arrest warrant issued against him by the Criminal Court over his conduct in the Gaza war would not stop him from defending Israel.

“No outrageous anti-Israel decision will prevent us, and it will not prevent me from continuing to defend our country in every way," Netanyahu said in the video statement.

“We will not yield to pressure," he vowed.

The court also issued an arrest warrant against Hamas leader Ibrahim Al-Masri – commonly known as Mohammed Deif, whom Israel declared dead in an airstrike in southern Gaza in July. Hamas, however, did not confirm Deif’s death. The court said it had issued the arrest warrant as the prosecutor had not been able to determine whether or not Deif was dead, and said it would continue to gather information with respect to his reported killing.

However, Israel has rejected the jurisdiction of the Hague-based court and has denied war crimes in Gaza.

Israel has said it killed Deif in an airstrike but Hamas has neither confirmed nor denied this. The prosecution indicated it would continue to gather information with respect to his reported death.

Netanyahu also described the court ruling as a “dark day in the history of nations".

“The Criminal Court in The Hague, which was established to protect humanity, has today become the enemy of humanity," he said, adding that the accusations were “utterly baseless".

He went on to accuse ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan of corruption and alleged that the warrants were an attempt “to save himself from serious accusations of sexual harassment".

Khan, meanwhile, denied the allegations.

OTHER ISRAELI LEADERS CONDEMN CHARGE

Israeli President Isaac Herzog described the court’s move as a “dark day for justice". In an X post, Herzog wrote, “It ignores the basic fact that Israel was barbarically attacked and has the duty and right to defend its people."

Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said ICC had “lost all legitimacy" with its “attack on Israel’s right to defend itself".

Far-right Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir urged the government to respond by annexing the whole of the occupied West Bank, which the Palestinians claim as part of their future state.

Israel’s centrist opposition leader Yair Lapid too slammed the court’s decision.

“Israel is defending its citizens’ lives against terrorist organisations that attacked, murdered and raped our people. These arrest warrants are a reward for terrorism," Lapid said in a statement.

US REJECTS ICC’s WARRANT

Meanwhile, the United States too rejected the Criminal Court’s warrant.

“We fundamentally reject the court’s (ICC) decision to issue arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials. We remain deeply concerned by the prosecutor’s rush to seek arrest warrants and the troubling process errors that led to this decision," Karine Jean-Pierre, White House Press Secretary, said when asked about the Criminal Court ruling.

“The United States has been clear that the ICC does not have jurisdiction over this matter. Whatever this prosecutor might imply, there is no evidence, none between Israel and Hamas, there’s just none," he added.

“In coordination with partners, including Israel, we are discussing certainly the next steps. We fundamentally reject that the ICC has jurisdiction over the situation and so that’s something that we’ve been pretty clear about and we’ll continue to," Pierre said.

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