US President Biden Rejects ICC Arrest Warrant Request Against Israeli Prime Minister 2024
US President Biden Rejects ICC Arrest Warrant: In response to allegations of war crimes in Gaza, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has requested an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. US President Joe Biden has expressed support for his partner, Israel.
Biden’s Response to ICC’s Request
According to a report by the foreign news agency Al-Jazeera, President Biden asserted that Israel and Hamas cannot be compared. His statement came after ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan announced he was seeking arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant for alleged war crimes during the Gaza conflict. Khan also requested arrest warrants against Hamas leaders.
ICC’s Provocation and US President Biden Rejects ICC Arrest Warrant
President Biden described the ICC’s decision as a provocation and stated, “I want to say clearly that we reject the ICC’s request for an arrest warrant against Israeli leaders; Israel and Hamas cannot be equated.”
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Ongoing Case in the International Court of Justice
Additionally, there is another case ongoing against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding alleged genocide, filed at the request of South Africa. Reacting to this case, Biden claimed that Israel is not committing genocide in Gaza and that US President Biden rejects these allegations.
ICJ Ruling on Genocide Threat
In January, the ICJ ruled that there is a threat of genocide in Gaza and ordered Israel not to violate the Genocide Convention in Gaza, instructing them to take necessary measures to prevent such actions.
Charges Against Israeli and Hamas Leaders
The ICC prosecutor detailed the charges against Benjamin Netanyahu and Gallant. It includes using starvation and killing civilians as methods of war. He strongly said that a full investigation is underway.
Karim Khan also applied for arrest warrants for three Hamas leaders: Ismail Haniya, Yahya Sinwar, and Muhammad Diab Ibrahim al-Masree, with charges including murder, imprisonment, torture, and sexual exploitation, alongside other war crimes.
Expert Panel’s Evidence and Amal Clooney’s Statement
The allegations were supported by evidence prepared by experts, including international human rights lawyer Amal Clooney. Commenting on the report, Clooney stated that any dispute should be subject to the law and no criminal should be above the law.
