By Said Amori
JERUSALEM (AA) - Israel canceled a planned visit by Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp on Thursday after the Netherlands supported the ICC's arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The Israeli broadcasting authority KAN reported the cancelation of the Dutch foreign minister's visit to Israel due to his country’s support for the ICC’s decision to arrest Netanyahu and Gallant.
While the public broadcaster did not specify which party canceled the visit, the Israeli Channel 12 stated that Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar canceled Veldkamp's visit to Tel Aviv, which was scheduled for next Monday.
Veldkamp earlier assured parliament that his country respects the ICC's independence, adding that Dutch authorities would act on the warrants and avoid non-essential contacts with those named.
In a landmark move, ICC on Thursday announced it had issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant over war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.
*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala