Amman – Paris – Ramallah – Zaytoun News
The State of Palestine Thursday welcomed the ICC decision to arrest warrants for Israeli Occupation Prime Minister Netanyahu and former ‘Defense’ Minister Yoav Gallant, six months after chief prosecutor Karim Khan requested them.
It affirmed that the ICC’s decision restores hope and trust not only in international law along with UN institutions, but also in the importance of justice, accountability and prosecution of war criminals, particularly at a time when the Palestinian people is still subject genocide, war crimes taking the form of the deployment of starvation of a method of warfare, and crimes against humanity manifest in killing, oppression and displacement, among others.
It called on all Member States in the ICC and the UN to implement the court’s decision and prosecute criminals before courts, while stressing the need to halt communication and meetings with both Netanyahu and Gallant.
It affirmed that it would continue to engage with international justice institutions and courts until all criminals who committed and are still committing crimes against the Palestinian people are held accountable to ensure justice and fairness to Palestinians.
From it side, The South African International Affairs and Development Department said in a media statement that the Government welcomes the ICC’s recent warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Minister of ‘Defence’ Yoav Gallant.
“These actions mark a significant step towards justice for crimes against humanity and war crimes in Palestine,” it added.
The Ministry reaffirmed in the statement South Africa’s “commitment to international law” and urged “all state parties to act in accordance with their obligations in the Rome Statute.”
“We call on the global community to uphold the rule of law and ensure accountability for human rights violations,” it concluded.
The ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, six months after chief prosecutor Karim Khan requested them, marking the first instance in the court’s 22-year history it has issued arrest warrants for western-allied senior officials.
In its statement, the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber I, a panel of three judges, said that it has “in its composition for the Situation in the State of Palestine, unanimously issued two decisions rejecting challenges by the State of Israel (‘Israel’) brought under articles 18 and 19 of the Rome Statute (the ‘Statute’). It also issued warrants of arrest for Mr Benjamin Netanyahu and Mr Yoav Gallant.”
The chamber said the arrest warrants are classified as “secret” but that it has decided to release them because “conduct similar to that addressed in the warrant of arrest appears to be ongoing”, referring to Israel’s ongoing onslaught on Gaza.
All 125 states that signed the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the court, are now under an obligation to arrest the wanted individuals and hand them over to the ICC in the Hague. A trial cannot commence in absentia.
However, the court does not have enforcement powers. It relies on the cooperation of member states to arrest and surrender suspects.
Israel is not a member of the ICC, but the State of Palestine was granted membership in 2015. Accordingly, the court can investigate Israeli individuals for crimes committed in occupied Palestine, which includes the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7, killing at least of 44,056 Palestinians and injuring 104,268 others.
Moreover, at least 10,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell Thursday stated that all European Union countries are obligated to uphold the UN top court’s arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant,.
It reported that Borell stressed that “all European Union countries are obligated to implement the decision of the International Criminal Court regarding the arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Galant.”
Borrell added that all European Union countries are members of the court, and therefore its decisions are binding on them.
He made his remarks during a press conference held by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi in Amman.
“These decisions are binding on all States party to the Rome Statute, which includes all EU Member States,” he also stressed on his X account.
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