Belgium says it 'will comply with obligation' if any person under ICC arrest warrant is in its territory

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - Belgium said on Thursday it "fully supports" respect for international law and the International Criminal Court (ICC), adding that it “will comply with” its obligations under the Rome Statute if any person under arrest warrant is in its territory.

The statement was made hours after the International Criminal Court announced it had issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Gallant over possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza since last October.

Asked by Anadolu how Belgium will act in the wake of the ICC ruling, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said that the responsibility to enforce arrest warrants issued by the ICC remains with states.

Citing Article 86 of the Rome Statute, which says states that are parties to this treaty have a legal obligation to fully cooperate with the ICC, the spokesperson said: "Belgium fully supports the respect of international law and the independent work of the ICC."

"Therefore, if any person under arrest warrant by the court is on the Belgian territory, the Belgian authorities will comply with their obligation under the Rome Statute," he added, not mentioning the two Israeli officials, but with both clearly included in the category of persons under warrant.

Many countries and international organizations on Thursday welcomed the arrest warrants and expressed support for the ICC.

Many reactions to the news also stressed the importance of upholding international law and called on all states and parties to the court to comply with necessary legal obligations.

In a statement earlier Thursday, the ICC said: "The Chamber issued warrants of arrest for two individuals, Mr Benjamin Netanyahu and Mr Yoav Gallant, for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024, the day the Prosecution filed the applications for warrants of arrest.”

Gallant served as defense minister until just weeks ago, for over a year of Israel’s relentless offensive on Gaza.

The warrants come as Israel’s genocidal offensive in Gaza recently entered its second year, having already killed some 44,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing and deliberate blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, pushing the population to the brink of starvation.

The ICC said the warrants were issued for the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare, and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.