Turkey, one of the most outspoken critics of Israeli actions in Gaza, hailed a decision from the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister over Israeli “war crimes” in Gaza as a very important step.
“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.
In an unprecedented move on Thursday, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant as well as Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif.
“The Chamber issued warrants of arrest for two individuals, Mr Benjamin Netanyahu and Mr Yoav Gallant, for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024,” the ICC said in a statement.
Netanyahu denounced the decision as antisemitic and the court’s accusations “absurd and false.”
Israel’s closest allies, including the United States, also slammed the warrants for the Israeli politicians, but rights groups including Amnesty International welcomed them.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu is now officially a wanted man,” said Amnesty Secretary General Agnes Callamard.
The ICC’s move theoretically limits the movement of Netanyahu, as any of the court’s 124 nation members would be obliged to arrest him on their territory.
Turkey is not a party to the Rome Statute of the ICC, adopted at a diplomatic conference in Rome in 1998. Currently, 137 states are signatories, but only 123 are considered parties to the treaty, which establishes genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression as the four core international crimes.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has on many occasions branded Netanyahu the “butcher of Gaza” and compared him to Nazi Germany’s Adolf Hitler.
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which began on October 7 following an unprecedented attack by Hamas, has led to significant casualties and devastation.
There is a severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza resulting from Israel’s bombings and blockade, which have deprived the population of essentials such as food, water, fuel, electricity and medical supplies. The death toll is estimated to be much higher than the official figure of more than 43,000 when factoring in those buried under rubble and secondary deaths due to the ongoing conflict.
© Agence France-Presse