The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for “crimes against humanity and war crimes” committed in Gaza.
The court found “reasonable grounds to believe” that the two of them “each bear criminal responsibility for the following crimes as co-perpetrators for committing the acts jointly with others: the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.”
Former Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan called it an “absurd decision” and said it “highlights the broken & immoral international system, which encourages terrorists and radical regimes, while tying the hands of democracies seeking to defend themselves. It is time to shape a new international system, led by countries dedicated to Western values, freedom, and the fight against terror.”
Israel’s war against Hamas, now in its 13th month, has divided countries on the world stage, with Israel further isolated as its military efforts have resulted in the deaths of more than 40,000 Palestinians and displacement of millions more and has not yet resulted in the release of the remaining Israeli hostages.
In May, the ICC announced its intent to pursue arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant, and multiple Hamas leaders. The Hamas leaders the ICC sought warrants for are believed to have since been killed in the war, such as Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, and Mohammed Deif. It only issued a warrant for Deif because the prosecutors “indicated that it would continue to gather information with respect to his reported death.”
Israeli forces are believed to have killed all three of those Hamas leaders in separate attacks.
Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack, in which it killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped 250 others, started the current iteration of fighting. Hamas is still holding about 100 of the hostages, whom they have held for more than 13 months.
The court found that there are “reasonable grounds” to believe Deif “is responsible for the crimes against humanity of murder; extermination; torture; and rape and other form of sexual violence; as well as the war crimes of murder, cruel treatment, torture; taking hostages; outrages upon personal dignity; and rape and other form of sexual violence.”
Over the last year, Israeli forces have carried out a massive aerial bombardment campaign and a ground invasion throughout the Gaza Strip. Nearly the entire population of Gaza is facing dire humanitarian situations with limited food, clean water, and medical supplies.
There were “reasonable grounds” to believe “both [Netanyahu and Gallant] intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity,” the court added, and it found that there were “two incidents that qualified as attacks that were intentionally directed against civilians.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin demanded that Israel do more to ensure humanitarian aid reaches Palestinians in Gaza in a letter last month, warning that not addressing the situation “may have implications for U.S. policy.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
However, Biden administration officials have said they do not believe the ICC has jurisdiction over the conflict, nor do they believe Israel is carrying out a genocide against Palestinians. Several members of Congress of both parties have shared a similar sentiment.
Israel is not a member of the court, and neither is the United States, though any arrest warrants would limit their travel abroad, and it could further isolate Israel on the world stage.
