Partners in crimes against humanity: Israeli regime’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu (right) and former minister of military affairs, Yoav Gallant
The Hague, April 25 (RHC)-- The Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has rejected Israel’s request to cancel or suspend the arrest warrants issued for the regime’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and former minister of military affairs, Yoav Gallant.
In a press release on Thursday, the ICC said it accepted Israel's appeal for a reconsideration of the Court's jurisdiction over crimes committed in Palestinian territories. However, it added that this issue did not affect the situation of standing arrest warrants.
The issue of jurisdiction, the Chamber explained, concerns whether the ICC can prosecute individuals for alleged crimes committed in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. The Court emphasized that Israel’s acceptance of its jurisdiction is not a prerequisite for continuing investigations.
The court said: “Investigations indicate that Netanyahu and Gallant oversaw attacks targeting the civilian population and used starvation as a method of warfare.”
In November 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants against Netanyahu and his former minister of military affairs, Yoav Gallant, for crimes against humanity and war crimes related to Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The ruling obliged all the 125 countries, which signed the Rome Statute establishing the ICC, to detain and surrender the pair to the Hague-based court.
The Israeli prime minister traveled to Hungary, which is a member of the ICC, earlier this month. The ICC asked the Hungarian government to arrest him, but Budapest refused to comply with the request and promptly announced it was quitting the court. ICC condemned Hungary for refusing to comply with its arrest warrant against Netanyahu.
The court’s spokesperson, Fadi El Abdallah, said that it is not for parties to the ICC “to unilaterally determine the soundness of the Court’s legal decisions.” The spokesperson further stated that participating states must enforce the court’s decisions.
