Regardless of Israel’s sharp inside divides, its leaders largely projected unity on Monday after the chief prosecutor of the Worldwide Prison Courtroom stated he would apply for arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, the nation’s protection minister, on costs of conflict crimes.
Mr. Netanyahu labeled the announcement “a shame” and “an utter distortion of actuality.” He stated the potential warrants wouldn’t change Israel’s intent to topple Hamas’s rule in Gaza.
“The absurd and false warrant by the Hague prosecutor shouldn’t be solely directed in opposition to Israel’s prime minister and its protection minister — it’s directed in opposition to all the State of Israel,” Mr. Netanyahu stated in a press release.
Mr. Gallant didn’t instantly touch upon the choice. The prosecutor additionally requested the courtroom’s judges for arrest warrants for prime Hamas leaders together with Yahya Sinwar, who he stated had doubtless dedicated “conflict crimes and crimes in opposition to humanity” as nicely.
Benny Gantz, a frontrunner of Israel’s conflict cupboard who not too long ago criticized Mr. Netanyahu for mismanaging the conflict effort, referred to as the choice “ethical blindness” and asserted that Israel was preventing “in probably the most ethical means in historical past, whereas adhering to worldwide legislation.”
“If the prosecutor’s place is accepted — that will be an ineffaceable, historic crime,” Mr. Gantz stated in a press release.
Israel shouldn’t be a member of the courtroom and doesn’t acknowledge its jurisdiction in Israel or Gaza, making the announcement a largely symbolic gesture. However these named in warrants might be arrested in the event that they journey to one of many courtroom’s 124 member nations, which embody most European nations however not the US.
Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor, stated he had affordable grounds to consider Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Gallant had dedicated conflict crimes, together with ravenous civilians as a weapon of conflict.
In a information convention, the chief of Israel’s parliamentary opposition, Yair Lapid, additionally criticized Mr. Khan’s determination to request warrants as a “ethical and diplomatic catastrophe.” However minutes later, Mr. Lapid denounced Mr. Netanyahu’s management and stated the concept his authorities would keep in energy was a “chilling thought.”
Like many Israeli officers, Mr. Lapid assailed Mr. Khan for issuing arrest warrants for each Israeli and Hamas leaders, seeming to equate the 2 sides.
“No such comparability may be made — it’s unacceptable and unforgivable,” Mr. Lapid stated. “We’ve got been conducting a simply conflict. Allow us to be clear: We won’t keep silent.”
Israel Katz, the Israeli overseas minister, stated he had ordered the fast institution of a “particular command middle” aimed toward preventing the courtroom’s determination. He stated the pursuit of arrest warrants in opposition to Israeli leaders was meant to “shackle Israel’s arms and stop it from exercising its proper to self-defense.”
“I intend to talk with overseas ministers of main nations all over the world to induce them to oppose the Prosecutor’s determination and declare that even when warrants are issued, they don’t intend to implement them in opposition to Israeli leaders,” Mr. Katz stated in a press release.
Mr. Netanyahu’s far-right coalition companions had been fast to dismiss Mr. Khan’s announcement, calling on Israel to press onward in its marketing campaign in Gaza.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, the hard-line nationwide safety minister, referred to as on each Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Gallant to “ignore the antisemitic prosecutor of the antisemitic courtroom and order the escalation of the assault on Hamas till it’s completely defeated.”
Johnatan Reisscontributed reporting from Tel Aviv.
