World leaders’ reactions to the arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant

The arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant: The world is reacting to the decision of the court in The Hague. While some countries made it clear that they would review the court’s decision, there were those who attacked the orders that were issued. US President Joe Biden visited the court in The Hague: “An outrageous decision”. The Prime Minister of Hungary invited Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit Budapest, and promised: “We will not arrest him”.

In a special statement, the US president said that “issuing arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is outrageous. I want to clarify again – contrary to what the court is trying to imply – there is no comparison between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand by Israel against the threats to its security.”

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that “France takes into account the decision of the court in The Hague, and emphasizes its commitment and support to the international court.” It was also reported that “the arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant are not a sentence, but a formal accusation.”

“France condemned and condemns emphatically and with all severity the anti-Semitic terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas and other terrorist organizations on October 7,” added the French Foreign Ministry. “We emphasize that there is no room for comparison between Hamas, a terrorist organization, and Israel, a democratic country. France stands by its demand for the immediate and unconditional release of all the abductees.”

At the same time, France stated that they will continue to demand a full and unobstructed humanitarian approach that will allow the introduction of large-scale humanitarian aid, including food, to all parts of the Gaza Strip for the sake of the civilian population: “France continues to demand a permanent ceasefire to end the humanitarian disaster in Gaza.”

German Chancellor Olaf Schulz’s spokesman commented on the issuance of the arrest warrants against the Israeli prime minister and former defense minister: “It is hard to imagine that we will enforce the warrant against Netanyahu in Germany. It is hard for me to imagine that we will make arrests based on this decision.”

The German government announced that it would thoroughly examine the arrest warrant. “We will carefully review the internal measures,” said the government spokesman. “Germany is one of the biggest supporters of the Hague Tribunal for historical reasons. At the same time, the result of German history is that we have a unique relationship and a great responsibility with Israel.”

Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian Prime Minister, announced this morning that he would invite Prime Minister Netanyahu to visit his capital, and pledged not to arrest him, even though Hungary is a member of the Rome Statute that enshrines the authority of the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Orban heads the rotating presidency of the European Union. However, there is no way to get to Hungary without passing through the airspace of other countries that are signatories to the Rome Convention, so the risk of detention still exists.

In its decision, the court rejected Israel’s jurisdiction and canceled all of its claims. The charges against the Israeli officials include using starvation as a weapon of war, murder and persecution. An arrest warrant was also issued against Muhammad Daf even though he was eliminated.

Risk of arrest in 124 countries

If they end up in one of the 124 countries that recognize the jurisdiction of the court, Netanyahu and Gallant will risk arrest and extradition. Among the countries that recognize the authority of the court are all 27 countries of the European Union, Great Britain, all countries of South and Central America, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand – along with other countries.