• PM Benjamin Netanyahu says that Israeli will not be deterred from their operations because of any ICC rulings.
• Israel has expressed worry over the potential arrests of their senior members in Government and military figures.
Israel is expressing apprehension over the possibility that the International Criminal Court may be readying to issue arrest warrants for government officials in connection with war crimes.
The ICC, empowered to prosecute individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, is conducting an investigation into Hamas’ October 7 cross-border attack and Israel’s ongoing harrowing military offensive against Gaza, which has persisted for seven months.
Following Israeli media reports indicating the potential issuance of arrest warrants by the ICC for senior Israeli government and military figures, Foreign Minister Israel Katz cautioned Israeli embassies on Sunday to enhance their security measures due to the perceived threat of a “wave of severe antisemitism”.
“We expect the court (ICC) to refrain from issuing arrest warrants against senior Israeli political and security officials,” Katz asserted. “We will not bow our heads or be deterred and will continue to fight.”
Unashamedly, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Friday that any rulings made by the ICC would not impact Israel’s operations but could establish a hazardous precedent. Israeli authorities are concerned that the court might issue arrest warrants targeting Netanyahu and other high-ranking officials for their breaches of international humanitarian law in Gaza, as reported by Israeli media.
Israel’s repeated breach of International law is grotesque and abhorrent. It is important to note, The International Court of Justice has ruled that Israel’s actions are “genocidal in character” because they are “intended to bring about the destruction” of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Among its evidence, at the time of the court proceedings, South Africa included the barbaric killing of over 21,000 Palestinians who encountered widespread food insecurity across Gaza. Since October 7th, Israel have massacred 34,488 Gazans.
In October, ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan stated that the court held jurisdiction over any possible war crimes carried out by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip.
Khan has asserted that his team is diligently investigating any alleged crimes occurring in Gaza and that individuals found to be violating the law will be held responsible.
