Harsh reactions after the request for arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Hamas leaders

2024-05-20 20:37:32, Kosova & Bota CNA

Harsh reactions after the request for arrest warrants against Netanyahu and

Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu

After the announcement by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) that he intends to issue arrest warrants against the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, and the leaders of Hamas - the Palestinian group declared a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union - there have been different reactions from politicians from around the world.

Both Israel and Hamas have "condemned" this announcement by prosecutor Karim Khan. The prosecutor said he believes Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and three Hamas leaders - Yehia Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh - are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Israel, at least from October 7, 2023.

Republican US Senator Jim Risch said there is no reason to investigate Israeli officials.

"There is no reason for the court to investigate Israel, as it is not part of the Rome Statute and Israel has a fully functional judiciary," said Eisch, who sits on the US Senate Foreign Affairs Committee.

Even the United Kingdom spoke against such a demand by Khan.

"This action does not help in terms of achieving a pause in the fighting, the release of hostages or the delivery of aid" to Gaza, said a spokesman for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Petr Fiala, also spoke out against the issuance of arrest warrants.

"The proposal of the chief prosecutor of the ICC to issue arrest warrants for the representatives of a democratically elected government and the leaders of an Islamic terrorist organization is completely unacceptable," he said.

The Chancellor of Austria, Karl Nehammer, said that he fully respects the independence of the ICC.

"However, the fact that the leader of the terrorist organization Hamas, who has stated that the group's goal is to exterminate the state of Israel, is mentioned in the same sentence as the democratically elected representatives of this same state is incomprehensible," he said.

There was also a reaction to this development from the organization for human rights, Human Rights Watch.

This organization said that victims of serious violations in Israel and the Palestinian territories have not had justice for decades.

"This action by the prosecutor opens the door for those responsible for the atrocities committed in recent months to face their actions in a fair trial," HRW said, adding that ICC member states must respect the independence of the court. .

Israel launched the war in Gaza in response to a Hamas attack in southern Israel on October 7 that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped around 250 others.

The Israeli war has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, half of them children and women, according to Hamas officials.

But the Israeli war has also caused a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, causing about 80 percent of the population to be displaced and hundreds of thousands of people to suffer from hunger, according to UN officials./ REL