The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former minister of military affairs Yoav Gallant over war crimes against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The court’s Pre-Trial Chamber I issued warrants of arrest for Netanyahu and Gallant "for 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”, it confirmed in a statement Thursday.
It is the first instance in the court's 22-year history it has issued arrest warrants for Western-allied senior officials.
In its statement, the ICC's Pre-Trial Chamber I, a panel of three judges, said it has rejected appeals by Israel challenging its jurisdiction.
The chamber said it has decided to release the arrest warrants because "conduct similar to that addressed in the warrant of arrest appears to be ongoing", referring to Israel's ongoing onslaught on Gaza.
Netanyahu and Gallant, it said, “each bear criminal responsibility” for “the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts,” as well as “intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population.”
All 124 states that signed the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the court, are now under an obligation to arrest the wanted individuals and hand them over to the ICC in the Hague.
The court relies on the cooperation of member states to arrest and surrender suspects. The Netherlands' foreign minister quickly said his country was prepared to enforce the warrants while 93 nations earlier reiterated their support for the ICC.
Triestino Mariniello, a lawyer representing Palestinian victims at the ICC, called the warrants "a historic decision".
He noted that the court had endured "pressure and threats of sanctions" from the US government, but acted nonetheless.
As expected, the Tel Aviv regime rejected the rulings, with its security minister Itamar Ben Gvir calling the warrants “anti-Semitic through and through.”
The ICC said Israel’s acceptance of the court’s jurisdiction was not required.
Israel and its major ally, the United States, are not members of the court.
Israel unleashed its bloody Gaza onslaught on October 7, 2023. So far, it has killed at least 43,985 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 104,092 others, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Israel faces an ongoing South Africa-led genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Comments
Let this fellow think for a while what could have been his approach when his daughter is put in Asifa's place. It gives suspicion that Mr. Gupta has some "Gupta" link with accused?. Why these fellows are devoid of humanity at least??......
Its a Small Issue to you because you are not a Human and that girl is not your Daughter. Cant imagine if you have a Daughter how she will react by hearing your Comments. Shame on you..
Really it is a small issue if you agrees that it also applies to my daughter,sister,and mother.
Mr. Gupta, it is a small issue because the innocent girl raped was not your daughter.
Aren't you a human, a father? Don't you have a child? Why don't they think before uttering words?
Not surprised. This is what I expect from Sangh Parivar. Your language shows your culture
If this is minor, then what is a major incident? Just because the girl is a Muslim the incident become a small issue for you?
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