Israel appealed to the “civilized world,” as it termed it, on Tuesday, urging them to oppose the request made by the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor to issue arrest warrants against its leaders, declaring that they would disregard any such orders.
Israel’s frustration reverberated in Washington, where it criticized what it saw as implied equivalence in the ICC prosecutor Karim Khan’s pursuit of arrest warrants against Hamas leaders as well.
The Israeli government spokesperson, Tali Heyenrich, stated, “We call upon the civilized and free world, those who abhor terrorists and anyone who supports them, to stand by Israel. You must unequivocally condemn this step.”
She added, “Make sure that the International Criminal Court knows your stance. Oppose the decision of the prosecutor and declare that even if arrest warrants are issued, you do not intend to execute them, because this concerns not our leaders, but our existence.”
Meanwhile, Galant wrote in a post on the platform “X”: “The attempt by Prosecutor Karim Khan to deprive the State of Israel of the right to self-defense and the release of its hostages must be rejected categorically and in detail.”
Hamas currently holds about 125 prisoners it abducted during its cross-border attack on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people according to Israeli statistics, followed by the war. Health officials in Gaza say more than 35,000 people were killed during the Israeli offensive.
In the statement announcing the request for arrest warrants yesterday, Karim Khan emphasized that Israel has the right to defend its citizens.
He said, “However, this right does not exempt Israel or any other state from its obligation to comply with international humanitarian law.”
Karim Khan added that regardless of any military objectives Israel seeks to achieve in Gaza, the prosecution believes its means to achieve them constitute “deliberate acts causing death, famine, great suffering, and serious injury to the bodies or health of civilian populations” as criminal acts.
