Spain announces funding boost for International Criminal Court

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - In the wake of the International Criminal Court (ICC) issuing international arrest warrants for Israel’s prime minister and former defense minister, Spain on Thursday announced a €1.6 million ($1.7 million) funding boost for the Hague-based court.

“We want international law, not impunity, to prevail,” Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told the Spanish parliament, adding that Madrid is now among the court’s top 10 financial backers.

Albares added that Spain also voiced support for South Africa’s genocide case against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as well as the ICC’s authority to issue relevant international arrest warrants.

Last week, the court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (who served in the post since the start of the Gaza war until earlier this month), and Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif.

Several European nations have said they would enforce the arrest warrants, while others, like France, remain uncertain.

“If the international community and the EU don’t understand that the unbearable violence in Lebanon and Gaza affects us all, we cannot achieve peace,” Albares said.

Explaining Spain’s actions on the conflict, he emphasized the country’s support for the current Lebanon cease-fire, calls for a cease-fire in Gaza and the return of hostages, recognition of an independent Palestinian state, and calls for the EU to re-examine its relationship with Israel.

He asserted that despite “misinformation,” Spain does not sell weapons to Israel or allow ships carrying weapons to Israel to stop in Spain.

Albares also announced that Spain would send an extra €4 million this week to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), which he called a “factor of stability” in the region.

“Peace in the Middle East will arrive because no stable future can be achieved on permanent violence,” said Albares. “But we must work to make sure the path is as least painful as possible.”

Israel has launched a genocidal war on Gaza following a Hamas attack last year. The ensuing Israeli onslaught has killed nearly 44,300 people, most of them women and children, and injured more than 104,700.

The second year of genocide in Gaza has drawn increasing international recognition, with figures and institutions labeling Israel’s actions a deliberate attempt to destroy a population.

Last week, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for 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.