UPDATED: Biden says ICC war crimes arrest warrant ‘outrageous’
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US President Joe Biden has called an International Criminal Court war crimes arrest warrant for the Israeli prime minister “outrageous”.
The ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu’s now sacked defence minister Yoav Gallant, and a Hamas commander, Mohammed Deif, who Israel says was killed in July.
Judges said there were “reasonable grounds” to believe the three men bore “criminal responsibility” for crimes during the war between Israel and Hamas.
Europe and the US were split in their response to the warrant, with several European countries saying they respect ICC decisions. The British government said it respected the independence of the court.
“Whatever the ICC might imply, there is no equivalence – none – between Israel and Hamas,” Biden said in a statement. “We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security.”
Both Israel and Hamas reject the allegations made by the ICC.European nations have promised to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for the two Israeli politicians.
The ICC accused Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant of crimes against humanity and war crimes for their role in Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
The ICC’s decision to issue the arrest warrants means the two Israeli politicians risk being arrested in any of the 124 countries that are party to the court.
The ICC has no power to enforce its warrants but technically, any country that has signed the court’s Rome Statue would be obliged to arrest Mr Netanyahu or Mr Gallant.
Several nations, including Italy and the Netherlands, said on Thursday that Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant would be arrested if they entered their countries.
Guido Crosetto, Italy’s defence minister, told RAI television: “We would have to arrest them.”
He added that it was not a political choice but that Italy was bound as a member of the ICC to act on the court’s warrants.
The Netherlands also said it would comply with the arrest warrants.
It followed a call by the European Union on its member states to respect and comply with the arrest warrants following the ICC’s landmark decision.
The EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, also disputed Israel’s claim that the court’s decision was political.
‘Not political’
“It is not a political decision. It is a decision of a court, of a court of justice, of an international court of justice. And the decision of the court has to be respected and implemented,” Mr Borrell said, adding that the court’s decision is binding on all EU member states.
Other European countries expressed their support for the ICC decision.
Simon Harris, Ireland’s prime minister, called the decision an “extremely significant step. These charges could not be more serious”.
“Ireland respects the role of the International Criminal Court. Anyone in a position to assist it in carrying out its vital work must now do so with urgency,” added Mr Harris.
But France’s foreign ministry stopped short of saying that Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant would be arrested if they set foot on French soil.
“It’s a point that is legally complex so I’m not going to comment on it today,” a spokesman said.
Beyond Europe, Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada, said his government will abide by all the regulations and rulings of the International Criminal Court.
He said: “It’s really important that everyone abides by international law. We stand up for international law, and we will abide by all the regulations and rulings of the international courts.”
Ayman Safadi, Jordan’s foreign minister, also said the ICC’s ruling must be respected by its member states.
