SMH/22.11.2024
Sadly neither of them will ever be arrested but this action shows just how isolated Israel has become on the world stage – Mark
London: The decision of the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants against Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant is risky. At stake is not just the fate of the two defendants but the reputation and relevance of the court itself.
Founded in 2002, it is the first time the ICC has issued warrants for the arrest of democratically elected leaders.
It is also the first time it has pursued individuals whose enterprise has been substantially supported by the West.
Of the 124 member states of the ICC on whom responsibility for enforcement of the warrants now falls, a good number – including the UK and much of Western Europe – provide arms and other military assistance to Israel.
This clash of interests will prove a major test of the court and the independence of its members’ own judicial systems.
Few of the arrest warrants the ICC issues – including an outstanding one for Vladimir Putin – are quickly enforced, but generally not for want of trying.
Netanyahu denies claims IDF targeting UN peacekeepers
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has strongly refuted claims his forces are deliberately targeting UN peacekeepers in Lebanon.
Of the 25 fugitives it lists as being currently “at large”, the great bulk are in countries outside its jurisdiction, many holed up in the lawless deserts of North Africa and the Sahel.
Netanyahu and Gallant could also just sit tight. Israel is not a member of the ICC and neither is the US, the country’s most powerful ally.
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