Paris, November 22 (IANS). France has supported the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant and Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif.
The ICC Pre-Trial Chamber has charged Netanyahu and Galant with “crimes against humanity and war crimes” between October 8, 2023, and May 20, 2024. Meanwhile, Mohammed Deif is accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Israel and Palestine territories since October 7, 2023, Xinhua news agency reported.
French Foreign Ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine said during an online press conference that the court is a “guarantee of international stability” and its orders must be followed “in all situations.”
“The fight against impunity is our priority,” Lemoine told reporters. He said France would continue to support the ICC’s action.
However, when Lemoine was asked whether the Israeli Prime Minister would be arrested if he came to France, he did not give a clear answer and described it as a “legally complex” issue.
He also said that France, the host country of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), is extremely concerned about the cultural heritages in Gaza and Lebanon that have been destroyed by Israel during the wars.
Meanwhile, Norway has also supported the ICC action. “The ICC plays an important role in ensuring accountability for serious crimes,” the country’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Ede said Thursday.
He said, “It is important that the ICC carries out its order judiciously. I am confident that the Court will pursue the case based on the highest fair trial standards.”
–IANS
PSM/CBT
