After Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Gallant also sharply criticized the arrest warrants requested by the International Criminal Court. This would equate Israel and Hamas.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant reacted angrily to the arrest warrants requested by the International Criminal Court (ICC). “ICC prosecutor Karim Khan’s attempt to reverse the situation will not succeed,” Gallant said. “The parallel he drew between the terrorist organization Hamas and the state of Israel is despicable.” This is a “shameful” step that should deprive Israel of the right to self-defense against the Hamas organization.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also sharply criticized the ICC’s actions. He described chief prosecutor Khan as “one of the great anti-Semites of the modern age.” In a video message, Netanyahu also said that Khan was “hard-heartedly pouring fuel on the fires of anti-Semitism that are raging around the world.”
Khan canceled planned visit to Israel at short notice
Chief prosecutor Khan accuses Netanyahu and Gallant of being responsible for starving civilians as a method of warfare, as well as indiscriminate killings and targeted attacks on civilians.
According to the US government, Khan canceled a planned visit to Israel shortly before applying for the arrest warrants. During the visit, he was supposed to speak to the Israeli government about the investigation and hear their perspective, according to a statement from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. “These and other circumstances call into question the legitimacy and credibility of this investigation,” it continued.
Germany criticized the parallel application for an arrest warrant against the Israeli government and the leadership of Hamas. “The simultaneous application for arrest warrants against the Hamas leaders on the one hand and the two Israeli officials on the other gave the false impression of an equation,” the Foreign Office said.
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz made a similar statement: The atrocities committed by the terrorists cannot be remotely compared to Israel’s conduct of the war, he said through his spokesman. “The federal government has always emphasized that Israel has the right to defend itself against the murderous attacks of Hamas in accordance with international law,” said the spokesman in the Bild newspaper. “Against this background, the chief prosecutor’s allegations are serious and must be substantiated.”
France supports ICC
France supported the ICC after the request for an arrest warrant. The country supports the International Criminal Court, its independence and the fight against impunity in all situations, the French Foreign Ministry said. As far as Israel is concerned, France has been insisting on strict compliance with international humanitarian law for many months and has complained in particular about the victims among the civilian population in the Gaza Strip and the inadequate access for aid deliveries.
The prominent human rights lawyer Amal Clooney supported the ICC in its actions against Israel and the Islamist Hamas. Khan asked her more than four months ago to support him and a group of experts in examining the evidence, Clooney said. In order to prepare the application for arrest warrants, she extensively examined and legally analyzed the evidence with other international and criminal law experts.