By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-22 23:07:14 | Updated at 2024-11-23 13:35:59
14 hours ago
US President Joe Biden yesterday attacked as ‘outrageous’ the issuing of an arrest warrant against Israel’s prime minister, as splits among western leaders were laid bare.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant to detain Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes in Gaza.
Britain has said it will follow its ‘legal obligations’, but the outgoing US President branded the ICC’s decision ‘outrageous’.
‘Let me be clear once again: whatever the ICC might imply, there is no equivalence – none –between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security,’ Mr Biden said in a statement.
A warrant was also issued for Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif, although Israel has said he was killed in an air strike in Gaza in July.
US President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee national security adviser Mike Waltz warned there would be a ‘strong response to the anti-semitic bias of the ICC and UN come January’.
Israel has also denounced the ICC decision, with Mr Netanyahu saying Israel ‘rejects with disgust the absurd and false actions’. And Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban invited Mr Netanyahu to visit Hungary, pledging ‘if he comes, the ICC ruling will have no effect in Hungary’.
But several other European countries – including the Netherlands, Finland, the Irish Republic, Italy and Spain – have said they would meet their
President Joe Biden labelled an arrest warrant issued against Benjamin Netanyahu by the ICC as 'outrageous'
Donald Trump’s nominee national security adviser Mike Waltz warned there would be a ‘strong response to the anti-semitic bias of the ICC and UN come January’
ICC commitments. Germany and France would not say what they would do if the Israeli leader entered their territory.
Britain has said the UK would follow its ‘legal obligations’, but ministers have declined to explicitly confirm whether Mr Netanyahu would be arrested if he set foot in the UK.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper sidestepped the question during a series of broadcast interviews yesterday, prompting criticism from a leading barrister.
Sir Geoffrey Nice KC, who prosecuted Slobodan Milosevic told Times Radio it was ‘very unfortunate to hear government leaders of this country trying to avoid the rule of law’.
The ICC’s decision sparked a furious backlash, with critics – including Tory former home secretary Suella Braverman – saying it raised doubts about the court’s judgment.
She told the Mail: ‘This outrageous political decision from the court calls into serious question the ICC’s judgment. Yesterday’s decision will leave a mark of shame on the court. To equate Hamas’s terrorists with Israel’s fight for survival is disgraceful.’
While saying the Government respected the independence of the ICC, Downing Street insisted Sir Keir Starmer would be happy to speak to Mr Netanyahu
But Downing Street backed the ICC on Thursday after it issued the arrest warrants, saying the Government respected the independence of the court.
A domestic court process would be required before Mr Netanyahu faced arrest if he visited the UK.
Yesterday No 10 said Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer would be happy to talk to Mr Netanyahu, in spite of the arrest warrant.
The PM’s official spokesman said: ‘The Prime Minister will continue to speak to the prime minister of Israel and indeed other allies in order to conduct the essential business of reaching a ceasefire in the Middle East.’
