Watan-The fears among Israeli officials of the International Criminal Court issuing secret arrest warrants against government and military leaders have increased. They may face them when traveling to European countries without prior notice.
Hebrew media reported that a member of the Israeli team handling international legal cases in The Hague warned that arrest warrants against Israeli officials might be issued secretly and they would only face them when traveling to European countries without explicit prior warning.
According to an Israeli source, associates of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are intimidating the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Karim Khan, and cornering him.
The source added, “The question remains: what level of diplomatic protection will Secretary of State Antony Blinken provide when he arrives in Israel on Tuesday?”
He pointed out that one of the issues to be discussed with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Israel would be the threat of arrest warrants in The Hague.
Israeli preparations for the court’s decision
Netanyahu‘s office spoke last week, in briefings to journalists, about Israel’s preparations for the very real possibility of the International Criminal Court in The Hague issuing arrest warrants soon against the Prime Minister, Defense Minister Ya’akov Golan, and Chief of Staff Hertzl Halevi, on charges of war crimes and allegations of deliberate starvation in Gaza.
The briefings from the Prime Minister’s Office also mentioned that Netanyahu and National Security Advisor Tzahi Hanegbi had heated discussions on this issue, and the Prime Minister subsequently began a marathon of talks with heads of states to thwart the issuance of these arrest orders.
Netanyahu’s stance
Netanyahu downplayed the utility of any arrest warrants that the International Criminal Court might issue against him or any of his government officials, saying that the court’s decisions would not affect Israel’s actions.
Hebrew media had previously discussed the possibility of the International Criminal Court issuing international arrest warrants against Netanyahu, Golan, and Halevi, in light of Israeli practices during the war on Gaza.
Israeli Channel “12” reported that the International Criminal Court is considering issuing international arrest warrants soon against Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials for committing “war crimes” against Palestinians in Gaza.