Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vehemently denounced the International Criminal Court (ICC) after its chief prosecutor, Kareem Khan, issued arrest warrants against him and his Defense Minister.
Blasting the ICC’s actions as a “moral outrage,” Netanyahu defended Israel’s military actions in Gaza which he described as a legitimate response to unprecedented terrorist attacks.
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On Monday, Khan applied for warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri, and Ismail Haniyeh, accusing them of “war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
In a bitter personal attack Netanyahu said Khan was one of the “great antisemites in modern times.”
TGP reports: The International Criminal Court on Monday filed an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
“On the basis of evidence collected and examined by my Office, I have reasonable grounds to believe that Benjamin NETANYAHU, the Prime Minister of Israel, and Yoav GALLANT, the Minister of Defence of Israel, bear criminal responsibility for the following war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on the territory of the State of Palestine (in the Gaza strip) from at least 8 October 2023:
- Starvation of civilians as a method of warfare as a war crime contrary to article 8(2)(b)(xxv) of the Statute;
- Wilfully causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or health contrary to article 8(2)(a)(iii), or cruel treatment as a war crime contrary to article 8(2)(c)(i);
- Wilful killing contrary to article 8(2)(a)(i), or Murder as a war crime contrary to article 8(2)(c)(i);
- Intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population as a war crime contrary to articles 8(2)(b)(i), or 8(2)(e)(i);
- Extermination and/or murder contrary to articles 7(1)(b) and 7(1)(a), including in the context of deaths caused by starvation, as a crime against humanity;
- Persecution as a crime against humanity contrary to article 7(1)(h);
- Other inhumane acts as crimes against humanity contrary to article 7(1)(k).”
In a video statement released Monday, Netanyahu lambasted ICC prosecutor Karim Khan for the direct assault on the sovereignty of Israel, a democratically elected government.
“The outrageous decision by the ICC prosecutor to target the leaders of Israel will leave an indelible stain on the international court,” Netanyahu said.
He emphasized that Israel is engaged in a legitimate battle against Hamas, a genocidal terrorist organization responsible for horrific attacks on the Jewish people on October 7th.
Netanyahu drew sharp analogies between the ICC’s actions and historical injustices, comparing the warrants against Israeli leaders to hypothetical moral equivalencies between U.S. President George W. Bush and Osama bin Laden post-9/11, or between FDR and Hitler during World War II. “What a travesty of justice, what a disgrace,” he added.
He further criticized Khan’s actions as undermining the foundational rights of democracies to defend themselves against terrorism and aggression, stating that the charges against himself and Gallant were an attempt to strip Israel of its right to self-defense.
“Eighty years ago, the Jewish people were defenseless against our enemies. Those days are over. We have a state, and we have an army,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu also accused the ICC and its prosecutor of fueling global anti-Semitism and likened Khan’s actions to those of German judges during the Nazi era who facilitated atrocities against Jews. “Mr. Khan’s decision places him among the most notorious anti-Semites of modern times,” he added.
