After report reveals International Criminal Court seeking arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli president excoriates ICC, demands world leaders issue condemnation.
By David Rosenberg, World Israel News
Israeli leaders from across the political spectrum made a rare display of unity Monday as they rallied around Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and against the International Criminal Court’s plans to issue arrest warrants for both over the ongoing war in Gaza.
In an interview with CNN on Monday, the ICC’s Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan revealed that he plans to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant, and three top Hamas leaders, including Yahya Sinwar – the mastermind of the October 7th invasion – Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh, and Mohammad Deif.
Hours after the interview was published, President Isaac Herzog called on world leaders to condemn the ICC and reject the plans to charge Israeli leaders.
“The announcement of the prosecutor at the ICC is beyond outrageous, and shows the extent to which the international judicial system is in danger of collapsing,” Herzog tweeted.
“Taken in bad faith, this one-sided move represents a unilateral political step that emboldens terrorists around the world, and violates all the basic rules of the court according to the principle of complementarity and other legal norms.”
“Hamas’ leaders are oppressive dictators guilty of launching mass murder, mass rape, and mass kidnappings of men, women, children and babies.”
The president said Israel would not accept “Any attempt to draw parallels between these atrocious terrorists and a democratically elected government of Israel.”
“We will not forget who started this war, and who raped, butchered, burned, brutalized, and kidnapped innocent citizens and families.”
“We expect all leaders in the free world to condemn outright this step and firmly reject it.”
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) called the ICC’s plan a “moral failure.”
“We can’t accept comparison between Netanyahu and Sinwar.”
Minister Without Portfolio Benny Gantz, who recently issued an ultimatum to Netanyahu and threatened to bolt the government, blasted Khan for “placing the leaders of a country that went into battle to protect its citizens, in the same line with bloodthirsty terrorists, is moral blindness and a violation of its duty and ability to protect its citizens.”
“Accepting the prosecutor’s position, would be a historical crime that will not go away.”
MK Merav Michaeli, chairwoman of the Labor Party, denounced the ICC’s plans as “scandalous,” adding that Israel “will not and cannot accept” them.
Michaeli did go onto accuse Netanyahu of “unprecedented failures,” citing the ongoing tensions with the Biden administration and the United Nations General Assembly vote to raise the Palestinian Authority’s profile in the UN.
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