It is now official! The international Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant against the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin NETANYAHU and the former defense minister, Gallant. In line with the warrant issued on Thursday, they are accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.
An international arrest warrant has been issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minster Yoav Gallant by International Criminal Court (ICC).
The warrant issued on Thursday comes a few hours after the Palestinian presidency condemned a decision by the United States to veto a decision by the UNSC to call for a cessation of hostilities in the Gaza strip.
The Pre-trial Chamber 1 of the ICC issued the arrest warrant against Netanyahu and Gallant for committing “crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024, the day the Prosecution filed the applications for warrants of arrest.”
A statement from the court read: “The Chamber found reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Netanyahu, born on 21 October 1949, Prime Minister of Israel at the time of the relevant conduct, and Mr Gallant, born on 8 November 1958, Minister of Defence of Israel at the time of the alleged conduct, each bear criminal responsibility for the following crimes as co-perpetrators for committing the acts jointly with others: the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts. »
Though the warrant has gained popularity among Palestinian supporters, the bone of contention lies whether the warrant will be effective on Israel given the ICC is largely supported by the United States and it intends supports Israel coined to the fact that Israel is not a signatory of the Rome Statute. Though it signed, it did not ratify it.
With the geopolitical implications of this warrant, South Africa and some European countries like the Netherlands and France, Belgium, Turkey, Italy, and others announced that they will adhere to the ICC orders.
