If Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu came to Italy, “we would have to arrest him, we would have to implement the decision of the International Criminal Court”. Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said this in Porta a Porta. “I can believe that the sentence is wrong,” he added, “and for me it is, because it puts the president of Israel and the leader of the Hamas aggressors on the same level.” These are two completely different things.” However, “We must adhere to the International Criminal Court and apply its provisions.”
“If Netanyahu and Gallant came to Italy, we would have to arrest them in accordance with international legislation. This is not a political choice, we must impose this penalty, like every participating state. The only way not to implement it would be to leave.” agreement,” Crosetto said.
“War crimes”: arrest warrant
The Pre-Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court today issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who are accused of carrying out a widespread and systematic attack against civilians in Gaza, on charges of “crimes against humanity and war crimes”. .
Nearly six months ago, International Tribunal chief prosecutor Karim Khan had requested the arrest of Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant and three Hamas military leaders (Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, Ismail Haniyeh, killed in action) for possible war crimes and counter-attack. Humanity was under commitment in the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. As we mentioned earlier in this article, it is a decision that divides European and Western countries.
The delay in the arrest warrant gave rise to more than one controversy: Many observers highlighted that, for example, in the case of Putin, who is accused of war crimes on Ukrainian territory, less than a month passed between the request and the arrest warrant. However, as described in another article, the chief prosecutor’s request to issue an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant paradoxically strengthened the Tel Aviv leader’s position both in domestic politics and in Israel. Relations with its closest allies, especially the USA.
What changes in practice?
If we leave the political repercussions aside, not much will change. In fact, Israel did not sign the Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court in 1998 and will certainly not arrest its leaders. However, in theory, the pair could be arrested if they travel to other countries that have signed the Convention, such as Italy. In practice, however, the Court has no instrument to compel national states to respect its decisions, and governments often undertake not to respect this authority during diplomatic or official visits.
The Court’s condemnation therefore appears mostly as a “moral condemnation” of Israeli leaders who are held directly responsible for attacks on civilians and the failure to prevent war crimes in the Gaza Strip.
Source: Today IT
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
