BRUSSELS, November 21, 2024 (WAFA) – Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Petra De Sutter Thursday called on the European Union (EU) to comply with and uphold the UN top court’s arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, according to Anadolu Agency.
“Europe must comply. Impose economic sanctions, suspend the Association Agreement with Israel and uphold these arrest warrants,” Petra de Sutter said on X.
“War crimes and crimes against humanity cannot go unpunished,” she added.
The ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, six months after chief prosecutor Karim Khan requested them, marking the first instance in the court's 22-year history it has issued arrest warrants for western-allied senior officials.
In its statement, the ICC's Pre-Trial Chamber I, a panel of three judges, said that it has “in its composition for the Situation in the State of Palestine, unanimously issued two decisions rejecting challenges by the State of Israel (‘Israel’) brought under articles 18 and 19 of the Rome Statute (the ‘Statute’). It also issued warrants of arrest for Mr Benjamin Netanyahu and Mr Yoav Gallant.”
The chamber said the arrest warrants are classified as "secret" but that it has decided to release them because "conduct similar to that addressed in the warrant of arrest appears to be ongoing", referring to Israel's ongoing onslaught on Gaza.
All 125 states that signed the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the court, are now under an obligation to arrest the wanted individuals and hand them over to the ICC in the Hague. A trial cannot commence in absentia.
However, the court does not have enforcement powers. It relies on the cooperation of member states to arrest and surrender suspects.
Israel is not a member of the ICC, but the State of Palestine was granted membership in 2015. Accordingly, the court can investigate Israeli individuals for crimes committed in occupied Palestine, which includes the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
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