April 19, 2024 (EIRNS)—Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fears he could be indicted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague, according to the Times of Israel today. Netanyahu and Israeli political and military leaders fear that arrest warrants could be issued against them, for breaches of international law in Gaza, reported Israeli Channel 12 television reported on April 18. The channel reported that three ministers and several government legal experts held an “emergency discussion” at the Prime Minister’s Office on April 16, about how to fend off the potential warrants. Apparently, Israel’s government received messages indicating that the ICC could issue such warrants in the near future, but Channel 12 indicated no sources for the message.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz’s office confirmed to the Times of Israel that the ministers met on April 16, and said there were also discussions about the possibility that warrants could be issued against officers of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The meeting, which was attended by Katz, Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, decided that Israel would reach out to the court and “diplomatic figures with influence” in an effort to prevent the warrants from being issued.
Netanyahu raised the matter in his meetings this week with Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Cameron and Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, and sought their help, said Channel 12.
