Netanyahu criticizes ICC for focusing on Israel and ignoring Iran’s actions
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the International Criminal Court (ICC) for targeting Israel in its fight against terrorists while giving Iran a pass. The ICC’s purported arrest warrants for Israeli officials over their actions against Hamas, with backing from Iran, have sparked global concern. Netanyahu warns that labeling Israel as war criminals fuels antisemitism. Many countries, including the U.S., oppose the ICC’s investigation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed the International Criminal Court (ICC) this week for targeting his country for its war against terrorists while the court has given a free pass to the country ultimately behind the terrorists, the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The statement from Netanyahu comes amid reports that the court, based in The Hague, is preparing arrest warrants for top Israeli officials over its war against Hamas, an Islamic terrorist group backed by Iran that murdered 1,200 people in Israel on October 7.
“International bodies like the ICC arose in the wake of the Holocaust committed against the Jewish people. They were set up to prevent such horrors, to prevent future genocides,” Netanyahu said. “Yet now the International Court is trying to put Israel in the dock. It’s trying to put us in the dock as we defend ourselves against genocidal terrorists and regimes, Iran of course, that openly works to destroy the one and only Jewish state.”
“Branding Israel’s leaders and soldiers as war criminals will pour jet fuel on the fires of antisemitism, those fires that are already raging on the campuses of America and across capitals around the world,” he continued. “It will also be the first time that a democratic country fighting for its life according to the rules of war is itself accused of war crimes.”
The ICC is not recognized by many countries, including the United States, Russia, China, India, and many more.
A Biden administration official told Axios: “As we have publicly said many times, the ICC has no jurisdiction in this situation and we do not support its investigation.”
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Netanyahu said that if the ICC targets Israel, it would be “targeting all democracies because it would be undermining their inherent right to defend themselves against savage terrorism and wanton aggression.”
“Clearly, this threat by the ICC is not an attempt to enforce the law,” he said. “Israel is not even subject to the court’s jurisdiction and it has an independent legal system that rigorously investigates all violations of the law. Rather, this ICC attempt is an attempt to paralyze Israel’s very ability to defend itself.”
He said that Israel and its citizens reject the ICC, which they now view as a “grave threat to our very existence.”
“And I want to assure you, no ICC action will impact Israel’s iron clad determination to achieve the goals of our war with Hamas terrorists: We will destroy Hamas’s military and governing capabilities in Gaza, we will release all our hostages, and we will ensure that Gaza never poses a threat to Israel again,” he continued.
WATCH:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
“You have to hear this to believe this. The International Criminal Court in The Hague is contemplating issuing arrest warrants against senior Israeli government and military officials as war criminals. pic.twitter.com/AU1z5GeJPm
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) April 30, 2024
Related: Bipartisan U.S. Officials Warn ICC Destroys Its Credibility By Targeting Israel
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