Netanyahu 'now officially a wanted man' after ICC warrant, says Amnesty chief

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is "now officially a wanted man" after the International Criminal Court's (ICC) decision on Thursday to issue arrest warrants for the Israeli leader, Amnesty International (AI) said.

The ICC issued warrants for Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant, as well as Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif "for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024."

"Prime Minister Netanyahu is now officially a wanted man," Amnesty Secretary General Agnes Callamard said in a statement. "We urge all ICC member states, and non-states parties including the United States and other allies of Israel, to demonstrate their respect for the court's decision... by arresting and handing over those wanted by the ICC," Callamard added. "ICC member states and the whole international community must stop at nothing until these individuals are brought to trial before the ICC's independent and impartial judges."

Turkey's top diplomat Thursday hailed as "a very important step" an ICC decision to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defence minister over Israel's actions in Gaza. "This decision is an extremely important step in bringing to justice the Israeli authorities who committed genocide against Palestinians," Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan wrote on X.

The ICC's move now theoretically limits their movements, as any of the court's 124 national members would be obliged to arrest them on their territory.
In their decision, the ICC judges said there were reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant were criminally responsible for acts including murder, persecution and starvation as a weapon of war as part of a "widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population of Gaza."

Judges said there were also reasonable grounds to believe the blockade on Gaza and lack of food, water, electricity, fuel and medical supplies "created conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of part of the civilian population in Gaza, which resulted in the death of civilians, including children, due to malnutrition and dehydration".

"Netanyahu and Gallant now are war criminals and sooner or later some country will bring them to justice, no matter how long it takes," said Shaban Abed, 47, a technical engineer and a resident of Gaza City, now displaced in the Khan Younis area. He said the court's move was "late, but never too late."

Rabeeha, a mother of five and a resident of Gaza City who only gave her first name, said she hoped it would help bring an end to the war. "I hope we can soon see Netanyahu and the criminal Gallant in jail," she said. "Now they can't travel, now they are being hunted."

Senior Hamas official Basem Naim told Reuters the warrants against the Israelis were an important step towards bringing justice for the victims and that all countries should back them.

The EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said the decision was not political but made by a court and thus should be respected and implemented.
"The tragedy in Gaza has to stop," he said.

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi also said the ICC's decision must be implemented, adding that Palestinians deserved justice after what he termed Israel's "war crimes" in Gaza.

The Netherlands' foreign minister Caspar Veldkamp said his country acts on arrest warrants for people on its territory and will not engage in "non-essential" contacts.

Agencies