Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has angrily condemned the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) prosecutor for seeking arrest warrants for him and Hamas leaders over alleged war crimes in the Gaza conflict.
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Netanyahu expressed disgust at the comparison of “democratic Israel” with what he termed “mass murderers.” His sentiments were echoed by US President Joe Biden, who asserted that there was no equivalence between Israel and Hamas.
The ICC prosecutor, Karim Khan, stated there were reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant bore criminal responsibility for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. The ICC is also seeking a warrant for Hamas’s Gaza leader, Yahya Sinwar, for war crimes.
The accusations against Israeli and Hamas leaders stem from the events of October 7, when Hamas gunmen attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 252 others back to Gaza as hostages. This attack triggered the current war, in which at least 35,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to Hamas-run health ministry reports.
President Biden reinforced his stance, saying, “It’s clear Israel wants to do all it can to ensure civilian protection.” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also condemned the ICC’s move, stating that Washington “fundamentally rejects” it and calling it “shameful.”
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The ICC prosecutor also applied for arrest warrants for Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh and military chief Mohammed Deif, along with Gallant. Khan accused Israel’s leaders of crimes including the starvation of civilians as a method of warfare, murder, intentionally directing attacks against civilians, and extermination.
The ICC defended its position, stating that despite “significant efforts,” it had not received information indicating genuine domestic action in Israel to address the alleged crimes.
A panel of ICC judges will now consider whether to issue the warrants. If issued, countries that are signatories to the ICC statute are obliged to arrest the accused if given the opportunity.
Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, called the ICC’s application to seek his arrest “an absurd and false order” and a “distortion of reality.” He accused the prosecutor of fueling global antisemitism.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz described the ICC’s move as an “unrestrained frontal assault” on the victims of the October 7 attacks and a “historical disgrace.”
While some of Israel’s Western allies refrained from directly criticizing the ICC, France and Germany issued statements supporting the court while criticizing the simultaneous publication of charges against Israeli and Hamas leaders, noting it created a false impression of equivalence.
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