Israel’s foreign minister yesterday headed to France in a bid to contain the fallout from the decision by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to request arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders, a move supported by several European countries, including key ally France.
France, as well as Belgium and Slovenia, each said on Monday that they backed the move by ICC prosecutor Karim Khan, who accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders — Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh — of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Israel.
Their support exposes divisions in the West’s approach to Israel and deepens the country’s global isolation over its conduct in the war in Gaza.
Photo: AFP
Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Israel Katz’s meetings with his French counterpart and other senior officials 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 US, as well as other Western countries that spoke out against the decision, but if the warrants are issued, they could complicate international travel for Netanyahu and Gallant. Israel itself is not a member of the court.
As the fallout from the prosecutor’s decision spiraled, violence continued in the region, with an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank killing at least seven Palestinians, including a local doctor, Palestinian health officials said.
In a late-night statement on Monday about the warrant requests, France said it “supports the International Criminal Court, 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,” the statement said.
Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders condemned the prosecutor’s move as disgraceful and anti-Semitic.
US President Joe Biden also lambasted the prosecutor and supported Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas.
The UK called the move “not helpful,” saying the ICC does not have jurisdiction in the case.
A panel of three judges is to decide whether to issue the arrest warrants and allow a case to proceed. The judges typically take two months to make such decisions.
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