ICC: France and Germany expressed support for the independence of the International Criminal Court in The Hague

 

■ ICC: France and Germany expressed support for the independence of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, responding to calls by Israel and the U.S. to sanction its chief prosecutor Karim Khan for requesting arrest warrants against PM Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Germany, however, disagreed with the equation between the arrest warrant requests against Hamas chiefs and those against Netanyahu and Gallant. Israel urged "nations of the civilized world" to oppose the ICC's prosecutor's request and to declare they would not honor any such warrants, a government spokesperson said. If the court does issue the warrants, it will make it difficult for leaders and foreign ministers of countries that recognize its authority to meet with the two Israeli officials, several diplomats told Haaretz. PM Netanyahu told ABC's "Good Morning America" that he rejected ICC prosecutor Khan's assessment of Israel's conduct in Gaza. "We have supplied half million tons of food and medicine with 20,000 trucks. This guy is out to demonize Israel. He's doing a hit job." Defense Minister Gallant said that "the parallel between Hamas, a terrorist organization, and the State of Israel, is despicable and outrageous. The State of Israel is not a party to the court and does not recognize its authority." U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that "the extremely wrongheaded decision by the ICC prosecutor – the shameful equivalence – only complicates the prospects" for a cease-fire and hostage release deal, adding that "We'll be happy to work with Congress on an appropriate response" Oman's foreign minister, Badr Albusaidi, welcomed the ICC's "clear-eyed judgment" and said "history will remember the real criminals committing genocide and war crimes against humanity." Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that while it is too early for Doha to directly comment on the ICC prosecutor's decision, all states and organizations should be "held responsible for the killing of civilians." "Israel will be put in a difficult situation if its prime minister and defense minister cannot set foot in any Western country or have contact with it. The warrants are personal, so at this point they would have no effect on other senior Israeli officials, but the possibility that the prosecutor will request warrants later on against other top officials, commanders or the chief of staff cannot be ruled out" – Chen Maanit