ISRAEL sought to manage the fallout today after a request by the chief prosecutor of the world’s top war crimes court for arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders, a move supported by three European countries, including key ally France.
Belgium, Slovenia and France each said on Monday that they backed the decision by International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan, who accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defence minister and three Hamas leaders of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Israel.
While no-one faces imminent arrest, the announcement deepens Israel’s global isolation at over its brutal destruction of Gaza and the mass killings of civilians in its war on Hamas.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz headed to France today in response, and his meetings there could set the tone for how countries navigate the warrants — if they are eventually issued — and whether they could pose a threat to Israeli leaders.
Israel still has the support of its top ally, the United States, as well as other Western countries that spoke out against the decision.
But if the warrants are issued, they could complicate international travel for Mr Netanyahu and Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, even if they do not face any immediate risk of prosecution because Israel itself is not a member of the court.
The prosecutor also requested warrants for Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh. Hamas is already considered an international terrorist group by the West.
As Israeli leaders came to grips with the prosecutor’s decision, violence continued in the region, with an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank killing at least seven Palestinians, including a local doctor.
In a statement Monday night about the warrant requests, France said it “supports the [ICC], its independence, and the fight against impunity in all situations.”
“France has been warning for many months about the imperative of strict compliance with international humanitarian law and in particular about the unacceptable nature of civilian losses in the Gaza Strip and insufficient humanitarian access,” said the statement from France.
