Milei and the US criticize Netanyahu’s arrest warrant

International leaders expressed outrage this Thursday (21) at the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the country’s former Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the conflict in the Gaza Strip.

The same measure was issued against Mohammed Deif, head of the military wing of the terrorist group Hamas who Israeli forces say they killed in July, but the Palestinian organization has not confirmed the death.

In a statement on social media, the government of Argentina, under President Javier Milei, stated that the ICC’s decision “ignores Israel’s legitimate right to defend itself against constant attacks by terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah”.

“Israel faces brutal aggression, inhumane hostage-taking and the indiscriminate launch of attacks against its population. Criminalizing the legitimate defense of a nation while these atrocities are omitted is an act that distorts the spirit of international justice”, pointed out the note.

A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council told The Times of Israel that the United States remains “deeply concerned about (ICC prosecutor Karim Khan’s) rush to seek arrest warrants and procedural errors concerns that led to this decision.”

“The United States has made clear that the ICC has no jurisdiction over this matter. In coordination with partners, including Israel, we are discussing next steps,” the spokesperson added.

In turn, a spokesperson for the United Kingdom government, another ally of Israel, said that London respects the “independence” of the ICC, but made reservations.

“This government has made it clear that Israel has the right to defend itself, in accordance with international law. There is no moral equivalence between Israel, a democracy, and Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah, which are terrorist organizations,” the spokesperson said.

Unlike Israel and the United States, the United Kingdom is a signatory to the Rome Statute, which created the ICC – meaning, if Netanyahu visits the European country, he could be arrested.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó called the Hague court’s decision “shameful and absurd.”

“This decision dishonors the international judiciary by equating leaders of a country attacked by a heinous terrorist attack with the leaders of the terrorist organization responsible,” Szijjártó said in a phone call with Israel’s Foreign Minister, Gideon Sa’ar, according to information from Agence France -Press.

French Foreign Ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine said at a press conference that the country’s reaction to the arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant will be “in line with the statutes of the ICC”, of which Paris is also a signatory.

However, he digressed when asked whether France would arrest the Israeli prime minister if he visited the country. “It’s a point that is legally complex and I’m not going to comment on that today,” Lemoine said.

In May, when the ICC prosecutor requested Netanyahu’s arrest, France said it supported the court’s “independence”, in the first episode of diplomatic friction with Israel that would worsen in the following months.

The European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, defended this Thursday that Netanyahu and Gallant be arrested.

“It is not a political decision, it is a decision of an international court of justice, and the court’s decision has to be respected and applied,” said Borrell, during a joint press conference with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi , in Amman.

Opponents celebrate arrest order against Netanyahu

Hamas, as already reported by People’s Gazettethe Palestinian Authority and Turkey, disaffected by Israel, celebrate the arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant.

“The ICC’s decision represents hope and confidence in international law and its institutions,” said the Palestinian Authority in a statement released by its official agency, Wafa, in which it also asked the Hague court “for a policy of cutting off contacts and meetings with individuals wanted internationally, Netanyahu and Gallant.”

Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunç described the ICC order against Netanyahu and Gallant as “a positive, albeit late, decision to end the bloodshed and Palestinian genocide.”

“Calling this decision anti-Semitic is an attempt to hide (Israel’s genocide in Gaza),” said Ömer Çelik, spokesman for the Turkish ruling AKP party.