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Hamas official: ICC prosecutor’s decision ‘equates the victim with the executioner’
The decision by the ICC prosecutor to seek arrest warrants for three Hamas leaders “equates the victim with the executioner”, a senior Hamas official told the Reuters news agency.
Sami Abu Zuhri also said the ICC decision gives encouragement to Israel to continue its “war of extermination” in Gaza.
Israel’s Gantz: ICC prosecutor’s move is a crime of historic proportions
Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz has denounced the application for arrest warrants against his country’s prime minister and defence minister by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court as “a crime of historic proportion”.
“Drawing parallels between the leaders of a democratic country determined to defend itself from despicable terror to leaders of a blood-thirsty terror organisation (Hamas) is a deep distortion of justice and blatant moral bankruptcy,” Gantz said.
Oh just go sit in a cell together and 'hash it out' without killing more civilians
ICC decision a ‘confusion between the victim and the executioner’: PLO official
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) official Wasel Abu Youssef has called the ICC prosecutor’s move to also request arrest warrants for Hamas leaders was a “confusion between the victim and the executioner”.
“The ICC is required to issue arrest warrants against Israeli officials who continue committing genocide crimes in the Gaza Strip,” he also said
The ICC is under immense political pressure, not seeking arrest warrants against Hamas leaders would undermine seeking arrest warrants against Israeli leaders. But they are right, Sinwar was leading the movement to more peaceful solutions and changed the Hamas charter in 2017 to advocate for a 2-state solution, which Netanyahu firmly rejects. Mohammed Deif though, he's fully behind Oct 7 and deserves to be in jail for the rest of his life.
Smotrich likens ICC prosecutor’s move to Nazi propaganda
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has likened the announcement by the International Criminal Court prosecutor on seeking arrest warrants for top Israeli officials to Nazi propaganda.
“We haven’t seen such a show of hypocrisy and hatred of Jews like that of the Hague Tribunal since Nazi propaganda,” Smotrich said on X. He also said all Israelis should feel as though there are arrest warrants against them after the announcement by Karim Khan.
Khan earlier said he will apply for arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
Ben G'Vir and Smothrich should have arrest warrants as well.
Arrest-warrant seeking against Netanyahu, Gallant ‘scandalous’: Israeli foreign minister
Israel Katz has said the decision by the ICC’s chief prosecutor to seek arrest warrants for Israel’s prime minister and defence minister is “scandalous.”
The foreign minister also alleged the move was tantamount to assaulting the victims of the October 7 attack carried out by Hamas and allied groups. Katz said he had opened a special war room to counteract the ICC prosecutor’s move, adding no force in the world will prevent Israel from bringing back the captives held in Gaza and toppling Hamas.
War crime arrest warrant sought. What next?
Karim Khan, the ICC prosecutor, must request the warrants from a pre-trial panel of three judges, who take on average two months to consider the evidence and determine if the proceedings can move forward.
Israel is not a member of The Hague-based court, and even if the arrest warrants are issued, Netanyahu and Gallant do not face any immediate risk of prosecution. But Khan’s announcement deepens Israel’s isolation as it presses ahead with its devastating war on Gaza. The threat of arrest could make it difficult for the Israeli leaders to travel abroad.
Out of the three Hamas leader against whom arrest warrant has been sought, two of them – Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif – are in Gaza. But Ismail Haniyeh, the political head of Hamas, is based in Qatar and frequently travels across the region.
Qatar is also not a member of the ICC, neither is Egypt, nor the USA, nor Iran. They can all still go to their favorite destinations.
This is where they can't go if arrest warrants are issued https://asp.icc-cpi.int/states-parties (Of course with US pressure, which country would actually have the balls to arrest Netanyahu) The day Hamas and Netanyahu stand before court is still a long way off if it would actually happen at all.
But it is another political blow for Israel as well as more ammunition for South Africa's case against Israel at the ICJ.
