International Court May Issue Arrest Warrant for Netanyahu

Leaders of Hamas may get them as well from the ICC
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 29, 2024 9:20 AM CDT
International Court May Issue Arrest Warrant for Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.   (Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP, File)

Benjamin Netanyahu appears to be at risk of a major international embarrassment: Israel is worried that the International Criminal Court is about to issue arrest warrants for him and other Israeli leaders for alleged war crimes, report NBC News and the Jerusalem Post. The ICC might also issue warrants for the leaders of Hamas, according to the New York Times. The accounts in the three stories say Israeli officials are working behind the scenes to fend off the warrants, which would put Netanyahu on par with Vladimir Putin in the eyes of the ICC.

The court, based in the Hague, doesn't have its own police force and relies on member nations to take people into custody. Neither Israel nor the US recognizes the ICC's jurisdiction, notes NBC. Meaning, it's unlikely Netanyahu would find himself on trial should a warrant emerge, but it would still be seen as a "humbling moral rebuke," per the Times. As speculation mounts, Netanyahu took to social media on Friday to declare that any ICC intervention "would set a dangerous precedent that threatens the soldiers and officials of all democracies fighting savage terrorism and wanton aggression." (Food aid group World Central Kitchen is resuming food deliveries in Gaza.)

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