ICC: Netanyahu angrily rejects move to seek his arrest

The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, expressed his strong disapproval of the decision made by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to request arrest warrants for him and the leaders of Hamas due to accusations of committing war crimes during the Gaza conflict.

Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed his strong disapproval and repudiation towards the comparison of "democratic Israel" to "mass murderers". He found the comparison to be revolting.

US President Joe Biden also shared similar thoughts to Mr. Netanyahu when he expressed that Israel and Hamas can't be compared.

Karim Khan, the top prosecutor for ICC, has stated that Mr. Netanyahu and his Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, may be held responsible for crimes against humanity and alleged war crimes committed in Gaza based on credible evidence.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is trying to obtain an arrest warrant for Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, for committing acts of war that are considered illegal.

In 2002, the International Criminal Court (ICC) was established, but it's important to note that Israel and their close ally, the US, are not officially part of this organization.

The Israeli and Hamas leaders have been accused of wrongdoing in relation to the events that took place on October 7th. On that day, numerous Hamas gunmen attacked Israel, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 individuals and the taking of 252 hostages who were brought back to Gaza. This attack ultimately sparked the ongoing war, during which the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza has reported that at a minimum 35,500 Palestinians have lost their lives.

Mr Biden declared on Monday that he sees no similarity whatsoever between Israel and Hamas.

He claimed that the request for the arrest warrants of Israeli leaders by the ICC prosecutor is extremely offensive.

The leader of the United States has criticized the decision, and the Secretary of State Antony Blinken has expressed agreement, saying that the move is unacceptable. The United States does not believe that the International Criminal Court has the ability to make a ruling on this issue. He stated his disappointment, calling the situation "embarrassing."

Mr. Blinken conveyed that pursuing an arrest warrant could put at risk the current attempts to devise a ceasefire agreement.

Mr. Khan has requested the issuance of arrest orders for Mr. Gallant and the political head of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, as well as the group's military leader, Mohammed Deif.

According to him, the head of Israel's government and the person in charge of military defense are thought to have committed crimes that involve using starvation as a tactic during times of war, killing people deliberately, specifically targeting civilian populations in attacks, and carrying out acts of extermination.

According to the prosecutor, the assumed offenses commenced "starting from October 7, 2023" for the Hamas leaders' case, during the group's assault on Israel, and "starting from October 8, 2023" for the Israeli leaders.

On Monday, the ICC backed their position by stating that even though they strived to receive information, they have not been provided with any evidence that proves genuine effort made at a national level in Israel to deal with the crimes in question or the individuals being probed.

A group of evaluators at the ICC has to make a decision about whether or not to release the warrants. If they do decide to do this, countries that have agreed to the rules of the ICC must take the men into custody if they have the chance to do so.

Israel's Prime Minister Mr. Netanyahu, who has served in this position for the longest duration, criticized the attempt to obtain his arrest as "a ridiculous and incorrect decision."

He made a statement in Hebrew to the public asking how the ICC could dare to compare Hamas and Israel.

According to Mr. Netanyahu, the comparison was not a truthful representation of reality.

He blamed the prosecutor for igniting the already existing flames of antisemitism in the world by making insensitive comments."

The Foreign Minister of Israel, Israel Katz, expressed his strong opposition to Mr. Khan's decision regarding the 7 October attacks, referring to it as an uncontrolled and forceful attack on the victims and a shameful act that will never be forgotten.

Before, Hamas requested that "all orders to apprehend leaders of the Palestinian resistance" be retracted.

Hamas has expressed its strong opposition to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court's efforts to equate the victim with the perpetrator.

The group expressed their dissatisfaction with how long it took to apply for warrants against Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Gallant, stating that it came seven months after the fact. They also believed that other Israeli political and military leaders should have been mentioned alongside them.

Mr Khan stated that the leaders of Hamas were guilty of various offenses such as genocide, homicide, holding people hostage, engaging in sexual assault and inflicting pain through torture.