Regardless of Israel’s sharp inside divides, its leaders largely projected unity on Monday after the chief prosecutor of the Worldwide Felony Courtroom mentioned he would apply for arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, the nation’s protection minister, on prices of conflict crimes.
Mr. Netanyahu labeled the announcement “a shame” and “an utter distortion of actuality.” He mentioned the potential warrants wouldn’t change Israel’s intent to topple Hamas’s rule in Gaza.
“The absurd and false warrant by the Hague prosecutor will not be solely directed towards Israel’s prime minister and its protection minister — it’s directed towards all the State of Israel,” Mr. Netanyahu mentioned in a press release.
Mr. Gallant didn’t instantly touch upon the choice. The prosecutor additionally requested the courtroom’s judges for arrest warrants for prime Hamas leaders together with Yahya Sinwar, who he mentioned had possible dedicated “conflict crimes and crimes towards humanity” as nicely.
Benny Gantz, a pacesetter of Israel’s conflict cupboard who lately criticized Mr. Netanyahu for mismanaging the conflict effort, referred to as the choice “ethical blindness” and asserted that Israel was preventing “in essentially the most ethical manner in historical past, whereas adhering to worldwide legislation.”
“If the prosecutor’s place is accepted — that will be an ineffaceable, historic crime,” Mr. Gantz mentioned in a press release.
Israel will not be a member of the courtroom and doesn’t acknowledge its jurisdiction in Israel or Gaza, making the announcement a largely symbolic gesture. However these named in warrants may very well be arrested in the event that they journey to one of many courtroom’s 124 member nations, which embody most European nations however not america.
Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor, mentioned he had affordable grounds to imagine Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Gallant had dedicated conflict crimes, together with ravenous civilians as a weapon of conflict.
In a information convention, the chief of Israel’s parliamentary opposition, Yair Lapid, additionally criticized Mr. Khan’s choice to request warrants as a “ethical and diplomatic catastrophe.” However minutes later, Mr. Lapid denounced Mr. Netanyahu’s management and mentioned the concept his authorities would keep in energy was a “chilling thought.”
Like many Israeli officers, Mr. Lapid assailed Mr. Khan for issuing arrest warrants for each Israeli and Hamas leaders, seeming to equate the 2 sides.
“No such comparability may be made — it’s unacceptable and unforgivable,” Mr. Lapid mentioned. “We have now been conducting a simply conflict. Allow us to be clear: We won’t keep silent.”
Israel Katz, the Israeli overseas minister, mentioned he had ordered the instant institution of a “particular command heart” geared toward preventing the courtroom’s choice. He mentioned the pursuit of arrest warrants towards Israeli leaders was meant to “shackle Israel’s arms and forestall it from exercising its proper to self-defense.”
“I intend to talk with overseas ministers of main nations all over the world to induce them to oppose the Prosecutor’s choice and declare that even when warrants are issued, they don’t intend to implement them towards Israeli leaders,” Mr. Katz mentioned in a press release.
Mr. Netanyahu’s far-right coalition companions have been fast to dismiss Mr. Khan’s announcement, calling on Israel to press onward in its marketing campaign in Gaza.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, the hard-line nationwide safety minister, referred to as on each Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Gallant to “ignore the antisemitic prosecutor of the antisemitic courtroom and order the escalation of the assault on Hamas till it’s completely defeated.”
Johnatan Reisscontributed reporting from Tel Aviv.
