Dr Mike Evans

Netanyahu blasts ICC over arrest warrants By Dr Mike Evans

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sharply criticized the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, calling it “the enemy of humanity” after the court issued arrest warrants for him and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes related to Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Netanyahu condemned the decision as a “black day in the history of nations” and vowed to continue defending Israel despite international pressure.

He rejected the accusations, labeling them false and absurd, and described the ICC’s actions as driven by anti-Semitism. According to Netanyahu, the goal of the warrants was to deter Israel from exercising its right to self-defense against groups like Hamas, which he accused of using Gaza civilians as human shields.

Netanyahu emphasized Israel’s efforts to protect civilians, citing millions of warnings issued to Gaza residents and the country’s provision of substantial aid, including food and vaccines. He pointed to Israel’s delivery of over 700,000 tons of food to Gaza, providing an average of 3,200 calories per person per day, and its vaccination efforts against polio as evidence of its commitment to humanitarian relief.

In a separate statement, Netanyahu accused the ICC prosecutor of trying to deflect attention from personal legal troubles and charged that the court’s decision was influenced by anti-Israel bias among the judges. He further dismissed the notion of a “deliberate policy of starvation” in Gaza, arguing that the evidence presented by the ICC was misleading and ignored the broader context of Hamas’s actions.

“The truth is simple,” Netanyahu said, emphasizing that Israel’s military operations followed a violent, unprovoked attack by Hamas, which Netanyahu described as the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.

Netanyahu thanked Israel’s allies, especially the United States, for their vocal support in condemning the ICC’s actions. U.S. President Joe Biden expressed solidarity with Israel, condemning the ICC’s decision and reaffirming the U.S. commitment to standing with Israel against threats to its security.

Biden made it clear that no equivalence exists between Israel and Hamas, asserting that the United States would always support Israel in the face of international attempts to undermine its defense.