Gideon Sa’ar: Cancels the visit of the Dutch Foreign Minister to Israel

After the issuance of the arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Galant, Israel fears that additional warrants are on the way – for senior officers and soldiers in the IDF. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced this evening (Thursday) the cancellation of the visit of Dutch Foreign Minister Kasper Waldkamp to Israel. This, after the support of the Netherlands In issuing the warrants against Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant.At the same time as the decision, the Prosecutor General in The Hague, Karim Khan, published the first reference to the dramatic decision made today at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. In a statement on the matter, Khan called on the member states of the Rome Convention to respect the court ruling and enforce the order within their borders. The meaning of the decision – the arrest of Netanyahu and Galant if they enter the territories of the 124 member states of the treaty.

“We trust the cooperation of the member states in this situation,” Khan wrote in an appeal to the member states – and also called on other states, which are not members of the convention, to enforce the orders.

“Also, I will continue to seek cooperation from all stakeholders, including the State of Israel and the ‘State of Palestine’, to ensure that my office fulfills its full responsibility, in accordance with Article 54 of the Rome Statute, to investigate equally incriminating and qualifying circumstances,” continued Khan – who noted This is not the only investigation on the issue of Israel: “My office continues to investigate the situation in the ‘State of Palestine’ independently and impartially. We are promoting additional lines of investigation in the areas under the jurisdiction of The court, including Gaza and the West Bank – including East Jerusalem.”

“I am deeply concerned by reports of an escalation in violence, a further curtailment of humanitarian access and allegations of international crimes in Gaza and the West Bank. We will continue to carry out our mandate to fulfill the fundamental obligation that forms the basis of the Rome Statute: the lives of all human beings have equal value.” .

Recently, Khan linked his request to have the warrants issued from the court to another investigation – which is being conducted against him regarding inappropriate sexual behavior. At the time, Khan claimed that the accusations against him “are consistent with the smear campaign against the background of the request for arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant.”

“Black day in the history of nations”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also commented at length on the decision to issue arrest warrants for him and Gallant. “Citizens of Israel, this is a black day in the history of nations,” he said in a recorded statement, “The International Court of Justice in The Hague, which was established to protect humanity, has today become the enemy of humanity.”

“This is moral bankruptcy,” Netanyahu continued, “it violates the natural right of democracies to defend themselves against murderous terrorism. After the terrible massacre of the Shi’veh in October, in which Hamas murderers raped women, beheaded, burned children in front of their parents and kidnapped hundreds of our citizens, they continue to commit a war crime against us, including the continued detention of our 101 abductees, and what is the Hague Tribunal doing in the face of these atrocities? today issued an arrest warrant against the body of Muhammad Daf.”

“This is an anti-Semitic measure that has one goal – to deter me, to deter us, from exercising our natural right to defend ourselves against our enemies who are against us to destroy us,” Netanyahu added.