In a landmark move, the International Criminal Court on Thursday announced it had issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes it accuses them of carrying out in Palestinian territories.
The Hague court’s Pre-Trial Chamber I said it issued warrants of arrest for two individuals, Mr Benjamin Netanyahu and Mr Yoav Gallant, for crimes against humanity and war crimes.
![Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C), and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (L), from the operations center in Jerusalem on 20 July 2024 [Israeli Prime Minister's Office/Anadolu Agency]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/AA-20240720-35193269-35193268-ISRAELI_PM_NETANYAHU_FOLLOWS_YEMEN_ATTACK-e1721647077514.jpg?fit=1199%2C800&ssl=1)
![Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., speaks during the Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald Trump hearing in Longworth building on Thursday, September 26, 2024. [Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/GettyImages-2173762034.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
These atrocities were committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024, the day the Prosecution filed the applications for warrants of arrest. In so doing, it also unanimously rejected challenges by Israel under articles 18 and 19 of the Rome Statute.
On their alleged crimes, the court said it found reasonable grounds to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant each bear criminal responsibility for the following crimes as co-perpetrators for committing the acts jointly with others.
This includes, the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.
![Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (L) in Hebron, West Bank on August 21, 2023 [Amos Ben-Gershom (GPO)/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/GettyImages-1614414579-e1698132670762.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=1)
The warrants come as Israel’s genocidal offensive in Gaza recently entered its second year, having already killed some 44,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and injured over 103,000 others.
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.
![Dutch Minister of Foreign affairs Caspar Veldkamp is talking to media prior to the start of an EU Foreign Affairs Ministers meeting in the Europa building, the EU Council headquarter on November 18, 2024 in Brussels, Belgium. [Thierry Monasse/Getty Images]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/GettyImages-2184732368.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
The Dutch Foreign Minister, Caspar Veldkamp’s trip to Israel has been postponed. Under the current circumstances it has been decided not to go to Israel now, adding that this was decided in consultation with Israeli Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar.
Earlier on Thursday, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants to, among others, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and former Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, which the Netherlands has said it would comply with if they came to the country.
Middle East Monitor / ABC Flash Point News 2024.
SS Israel the Apartheid State in West Asia has hit an iceberg and is sinking. Many are rearranging the deck chairs in hopes that it will stop the water level rising.
It has nothing to do with Dutch, it is International Court, stop treating !srael with “kid’s gloves”, !srael is committing Genocide and War Crimes !!!!!
The South African government and it’s people can hold their heads HIGH ! Your persistence in bringing these filthy despicable murderers to JUSTICE will be recorded in HISTORY . Palestinians will NEVER forget your Sacrifices.
The Ashkenazi arrived in Palestine claiming to be the Hebrews but they are actually completely foreign European people to the Middle East. Before they arrived, they made sure that the Western powerful countries would be on their side - first it was Britain and today America that they have to depend on for their survival on stolen Arab land.Isolation of the rogue terrorist state is well underway!