Middle East Monitor / November 29, 2024
All EU member states “are under an obligation to execute arrest warrants issued by the ICC,” EU spokesperson Peter Stano told Anadolu in a written statement yesterday.
In a landmark move last week, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza where more than 44,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023.
While some EU countries announced they would implement the warrants if the Israeli officials set foot on their territory, others claim Netanyahu has immunity and would not be detained.
Taking note of the arrest warrant, Stano wrote that the EU is “strongly committed to international criminal justice and the fight against impunity.”
The bloc supports the ICC and “the principles set out in the Rome Statute” – which founded the court – as well as the court’s “independence and impartiality,” Stano added.
The ICC’s mandate is “to prosecute the most serious crimes under international law,” he said, stressing that all EU member states “that have ratified the Rome Statute … are under an obligation to execute arrest warrants issued by the ICC.”
Israel informed the ICC on Wednesday that it will appeal against the arrest warrants.
