International Criminal Court Issues Arrest Warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant
Hamas leader Ibrahim al-Masri is also in judges’ crosshairs
The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu. In addition to the Israeli Prime Minister, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Gaza. Ibrahim al-Masri, Hamas leader, is also on the Court’s radar.
In the ruling, the judges explain that there are reasonable grounds to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant are criminally responsible for murder, persecution, and starvation as weapons of war in attacking the people of Gaza. As for Masri (Israel said he was killed in July, but there was never confirmation from Hamas), the indictment is for mass murder committed during the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel, in addition to the charges of rape and hostage-taking.
Israel took the news with outrage. A statement from Netanyahu’s entourage explained that “the International Criminal Court’s anti-Semitic ruling is equivalent to a modern-day Dreyfus case. Israel rejects with disgust the absurd and false actions and accusations against it by the International Criminal Court, which is a biased and discriminatory political body.” Israeli President Isaac Herzog entrusted his commentary to X social network, explaining that “it’s a dark day for justice. A dark day for humanity. The outrageous decision of the International Criminal Court, made in bad faith, has turned universal justice into a universal laughingstock. It mocks the sacrifices of all those fighting for justice, from the Allied victory over the Nazis to today.”
This act is unlikely to result in an arrest in practice, given that the Court has no police force of its own, relies on 124 Member States to make arrests, and has limited means to enforce its sentences.
