Israel fears International Criminal Court is preparing ARREST WARRANT for ... trends now
The Israeli government called an 'emergency discussion' over concerns the International Criminal Court could be preparing an arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders over alleged breaches of international law in Gaza, it has been revealed.
Three ministers and several government legal experts met at the Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday to discuss how they would manage arrest warrants after reportedly receiving information such orders could be issued imminently, according to Israeli Channel 12.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz, Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer reportedly met and decided to seek support from international diplomatic circles in an effort to foil possible action against Netanyahu.
Numerous bodies have alleged Israel has breached international law in its retaliatory campaign in Gaza since the Hamas-led October 7 attacks.
Israel reportedly fears that arrest warrants would be brought on the basis of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where rights groups and international bodies continue to warn of impending 'man made famine', alleging deliberate restrictions of aid into the Strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (not pictured) speak to the media following talks at the Chancellery on March 16, 2023 in Berlin, Germany
Children fill up bottles with water distributed by charitable organizations as accessing clean water gets harder due to ongoing Israeli blockade in Rafah, Gaza on February 16
Palestinian forensic experts and others search for bodies of dead people in the vicinity of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on April 17, 2024 after a recent Israeli military operation
Thousands rally against the government demanding Benjamin Netanyahu's resignation, early elections and prisoner swap with Gaza in Tel Aviv, Israel on April 13, 2024
Israel faces a number of allegations pertaining to breaches of international law over its conduct in Gaza since October 2023.
In February, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights published a damning report calling for accountability for both Israel and various Palestinian militant groups over alleged violations of international law.
These covered the period November 1, 2022 to October 31, 2023, but also referenced historical allegations of rights violations.
'For over 56 years, the Occupied Palestinian Territory – the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza – has remained under occupation by Israel, affecting all rights of Palestinians, including the right to self-determination,' the report read.
'The human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory drastically worsened during the reporting period. There was an escalation of the use of lethal force in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and May 2023 also saw an escalation of hostilities in Gaza.'
The British government in December called on Israel to 'take immediate and concrete steps to tackle record high settler violence in the occupied West Bank'.
The UN High Commissioner's report suggested Israel had committed war crimes and violations of international law, including the 'wanton destruction of civilian property', collective punishment, punitive and deliberate sieges, 'deprivation of essential services' such as water and aid, and forced displacement.
It also noted the deaths of 30 Israelis in the West Bank and one Israeli woman killed in Israel by a 'rocket launched from Gaza' prior to October 7.
The report claimed the human rights situation in the West Bank was deteriorating prior to October 7, citing the use of 'settler violence to facilitate de facto annexation' of the territory.
Earlier this year, South Africa also filed an application alleging that Israel's conduct in Gaza were genocidal in character.
The application urged the International Court of Justice to order 'provisional measures' to protect Palestinians in Gaza, including the cessation of military attacks that 'constitute or give rise to violations of the Genocide Convention'.
The key request, the cessation of hostilities altogether, was not granted, but the Court did order Israel to prevent and punish direct and public incitement to genocide.
Fadi Zant, aged nine, is experiencing malnutrition and receives treatment after evacuated from the northern Gaza Strip
Israel has been accused of weaponising starvation as a method of war in its battle against Hamas
Leila (pictured) can be seen quickly breathing in and out, desperate for a breath of fresh air in one of the 12 remaining hospitals
11-year-old Palestinian girl Nur al-Huda Mohammed is being treated for malnutrition and severe dehydration at Kamal Adwan Hospital
The Genocide Convention defines genocide by acts 'committed with intent to destroy, in whole or part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group'.
Genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide, attempt to commit genocide and complicity in genocide are all punishable, according to the Convention.
Responding to the ICJ hearings, Amnesty International warned at the time of the 'staggering
