ICC issues arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant for war crime of deliberate starvation and crimes against humanity

11/24/2024 / By Arsenio Toledo

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Minister of Defense Yoav Galant over allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Mohammaed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri, better known as Mohammed Deif, head of Hamas’ military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. He is presumed dead.

In its ruling to issue the arrest warrants, the ICC cited reasonable grounds to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant are responsible for the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare as well as for the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts. (Related: Netanyahu says IDF will still carry out operations against Hezbollah even if there is a ceasefire deal with Lebanon: “Nobody can guarantee it will hold.”)

In its statement, Netanyahu and Gallant are accused of “intentionally and knowingly [depriving] the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival” including food, water medical supplies, fuel and electricity.

The ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber I, consisting of a panel of three judges, accused Netanyahu and Gallant of playing a role in impeding the free flow of humanitarian aid, disrupting the ability of humanitarian organizations in Gaza to distribute said essential aid and cutting off electricity and reducing fuel supplies in the Strip.

Israel is also accused of only increasing humanitarian assistance to Gaza under certain conditions, often at the request of the United States or under pressure from the international community, and not because Israel is obligated to do so by international humanitarian law.

The ICC noted that the lack of food, water and other objects indispensable to the survival of Palestinians in Gaza “created conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of part of the civilian population,” noting that there is clear evidence that these policies of deprivation resulted in the death of civilians, “including children due to malnutrition and dehydration.”

Intentionally limiting the flow of medical aid into Gaza meant that Gallant and Netanyahu bore the responsibility “for inflicting great suffering through inhumane acts on persons in need of treatment.”

ICC ruling prevents Netanyahu, Gallant from traveling to most ICC signatory nations

The ICC was formed by the Rome Statute in 1998. As of November 2024, 124 states in the world are party to the statute.

Per the Rome Statute, all of its signatories who have ratified the treaty are compelled by both national and international law to arrest Netanyahu and Gallant if they ever set foot in their nations and hand them over to the ICC’s headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands. The ICC’s trial can’t commence in absentia, and the court does not have enforcement powers.

Both Israel and the U.S. – non-signatories to the Rome Statute – have condemned the arrest warrants, accusing the ICC of being biased and going beyond its mandate.

However, many other nations, including France and Ireland, have stated that they would honor the arrest warrants and immediately take Netanyahu and Gallant into custody if they traveled into their nations.

Watch this clip from “Palestine Deep Dive” as journalist Ahmed Alnaouq speaks with international law expert Tayab Ali regarding how the ICC’s arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant could lead to “the most significant international humanitarian law ruling in human history.”

This video is from the alltheworldsastage channel on Brighteon.com.