ICC Seeks Arrest Warrant for Netanyahu for Gaza War Crimes

Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, and other high-ranking Hamas officials are all wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor on charges of war crimes.

On Monday morning, ICC prosecutor Karim Khan KC made a statement suggesting that Mr. Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed al-Masri, Ismail Haniyeh, and the military commander and political head of Hamas, respectively, be arrested.

According to specialists in international law, this is a first for the ICC. The arrest warrants target the current president and defense minister of a country that receives assistance from other Western solid powers, such as the United Kingdom and the United States.

A million Palestinians escaped the first phases of Israel’s assaults on Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, and the invasion of the town followed weeks of calls for caution from Israel’s most loyal supporters.

Two of Israel’s three key war cabinet members, Mr. Gallant and Mr. Netanyahu, are facing charges that include:

-starvation of civilians as a method of warfare

-intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population

-wilfully causing great suffering

-persecution as a crime against humanity

-extermination and murder

An ICC panel of judges will now review Mr. Khan’s request for the arrest warrants.

U.S. President Joe Biden referred to the application involving Israel’s leader as “outrageous,” expressing amazement at the development from Israel’s most loyal partner.

Biden said in a press release that whatever the prosecutor might imply, there is no equivalence between Israel and Hamas.

Similar to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is now prohibited from visiting any of the 124 signatory states to the ICC due to an arrest warrant issued against him for his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Mr. Netanyahu would join the Russian president in being arrested if the tribunal decides it is appropriate to do so.

An announcement was made by Israel’s foreign minister, Israel Katz, who characterized the decision by the ICC as “scandalous” and a historic disgrace that will be remembered forever.