Germany to ‘carefully examine’ ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu and Gallant, government spokesman says

'Further actions would only be considered if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant were to plan a visit to Germany,' according to Steffen Hebestreit

By Oliver Towfigh Nia

BERLIN (AA) - A German government spokesman said on Friday that his country will “carefully examine domestic steps” following a decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.

"Further actions would only be considered if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant were to plan a visit to Germany," Steffen Hebestreit said in a statement.

"The German government has taken note of the International Criminal Court's decision," he added, underscoring Germany's role as one of the ICC's major supporters and its involvement in drafting the ICC statute.

However, Hebestreit also pointed to Germany's "unique relationship and great responsibility toward Israel" as a consequence of German history, suggesting this would factor into any decision-making process.

The Hague-based court announced the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant earlier in the day "for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024," when ICC prosecutor Karim Khan sought the warrants.

In doing so, it also unanimously rejected Israel's challenges to jurisdiction under articles 18 and 19 of the Rome Statute.

The court said it "found reasonable grounds" to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant "bear criminal responsibility" for "the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts."

The warrants come as Israel’s genocidal offensive in the Gaza Strip recently entered its second year, having already killed 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.

Kaynak:

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