by Admin
Nov 21, 2024
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has surprised the world with an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank.
The contemplation of the decision by the ICC judges began in May early this year, and a pre-trial chamber had earlier rescinded Israel’s challenges to the court’s jurisdiction and issued warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant the Israeli former defense minister.
Karim Khan, the ICC prosecutor who led the application for arrest warrants against the Israeli officials and three Hamas leaders in May for alleged crimes committed during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel and Israel’s subsequent war on Gaza.
Khan said that there were reasonable grounds to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant and also Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the group’s political chief Ismail Haniyeh, and Mohammed Deif for criminal charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
In a statement issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday, it said that Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant are both wanted for “crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024”.
The statement further accused the Prime Minister and his former defense minister Yoav Gallant of “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” which is against the United Nations human rights law.
The ICC judges also unanimously voted for the arrest of Mohammed al-Masri, known as Mohammed Deif, the Hamas Military commander for “alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes committed” in Israel on the October 7, 2023 attack and further crimes against Israeli hostages in Gaza.
Mohammed Deif is believed to be dead after Israel claimed that the Hamas leader who perpetrated the October 7 attack on Israel was killed in an airstrike on Gaza in July, the Israeli claim which was also backed by a further statement from Hamas to announce the death of their commander in August.
However, the Israeli government has condemned the decision of the ICC judges, the office of the Israeli prime minister in a statement said “Israel rejects with disgust the absurd and false actions leveled against it by ICC, and won’t give in to pressure in the defense of its citizens”.
It could be recalled that earlier this month Benjamin Netanyahu had relieved Yoav Gallant of his position as the Defense Minister after both had a falling out with Netanyahu claiming that he could not trust Gallant and accusing him of being behind the Iran attack document leaks.
Prodesq Political analyst, Temitope Oladeji explained that the ICC arrest warrant will restrict Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant from traveling to 122 countries that are signatories to the Rome Status of the ICC and this will be a great division between the United States and some of its allies like the Netherlands which has come out to support the ruling of the ICC.
However, Oladeji explained further that the Hague Invasion Act of the United States can be invoked if Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested by the ICC, the Hague Invasion Act gives the United States President the power to use “all means necessary and appropriate to bring about the release of any U.S. or allied personnel being detained or imprisoned by, on behalf of, or at the request of the International Criminal Court”. Israel, which is a close ally of the United States and has been backed by the U.S. government in its war in Gaza and Lebanon, is covered by the Hague Invasion Act.