Washington criticizes the arrest warrant requested by the ICC prosecutor against Netanyahu

Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds Agence France-Presse US President Joe Biden, May 19, 2024

France Media Agency in Washington

Published at 2:57 p.m.

• United States

US President Joe Biden on Monday criticized in a terse statement the arrest warrant requested by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israeli leaders, saying that no “equivalence” was possible between Israel and Hamas .

The prosecutor's request is “scandalous”, said the American president in a press release, while the head of diplomacy Antony Blinken declared that the magistrate's approach was “a disgrace”.

The United States, however, will continue to “provide (its support to the ICC) regarding the crimes committed in Ukraine”, stressed Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin.

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The Court issued in 2023 an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin, accused of the war crime of illegal expulsion of Ukrainian children.

< p> “I will be clear: whatever the prosecutor insinuates, there is no equivalence between Israel and Hamas, there is none,” asserted Joe Biden. “We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security. »

Antony Blinken said in a statement that the prosecutor's request “could jeopardize” the Gaza ceasefire talks.

“Hamas is a violent terrorist organization that carried out the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust and is still holding dozens of innocent people hostage, including Americans,” he added.

Moreover, the ICC has “no jurisdiction” over Israel, he recalled.

Nor Israel nor the United States is a member of the ICC.

In the eighth month of the war in the Gaza Strip, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court on Monday requested arrest warrants against the Israeli prime minister and his defense minister as well as three Hamas leaders for alleged crimes against humanity.

Karim Khan said he had requested warrants against Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant for crimes including “deliberate starvation of civilians”, “intentional homicide” and “extermination and/or murder”.

Charges against Hamas leaders, including its Gaza leader Yahya Sinouar, include “extermination,” “rape and other forms of sexual violence,” and “hostage-taking as a war crime.” .

The ICC is a permanent jurisdiction responsible for prosecuting and trying individuals accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Founded in 2022, this institution which today has 124 member states has only handed down a handful of convictions since its creation.