By John Owen Nwachukwu Israel has called on those it described as “nations of the civilised world” to refuse to stand against any In...
By John Owen Nwachukwu
Israel has called on those it described as “nations of the
civilised world” to refuse to stand against any International Criminal Court
arrest warrants issued against its leaders.
DAILY POST reported that Karim Khan, who is the chief
prosecutor of the ICC had announced on Monday that his office had applied to a
pre-trial panel for arrest warrants for three senior Hamas officials.
He also said that the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin
Netanyahu, and his defence minister, Yoav Gallant would be arrested for war
crimes and crimes against humanity during the Hamas attack of 7 October and the
ensuing seven-month-old war in Gaza.
The announcement was met with outrage by Israeli officials,
the public, and the country’s allies.
In an official reaction on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the
Israeli government, Tal Heinrich, said, “We call on the nations of the
civilised, free world – nations who despise terrorists and anyone who supports
them – to stand by Israel. You should outright condemn this step
“Make sure the ICC understands where you stand. Oppose the
prosecutor’s decision and declare that, even if warrants are issued, you do not
intend to enforce them. Because this is not about our leaders. It’s about our
survival.”
The prosecutor made it clear that Israel had the right to
defend itself from Hamas, but that it did not “absolve Israel or any state of
its obligation to comply with international humanitarian law”.
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