France said it “supports the International Criminal Court” and warned Israel of “strict compliance with international humanitarian law” after the ICC announced it would seek an arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has announced that it is seeking arrest warrants for several key Israeli figures, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Minister of Defense. France said it supported the court, breaking with the United States and Britain, which had condemned the move. But there appears to be no European unity on the issue, as the other power in the European Union, neighboring Germany, has taken a far more cautious stance, insisting that Israel has a right to self-defense.
French diplomatic authorities have responded to news that the ICC is seeking to issue warrants against both Israeli and Hamas figures, saying the court’s independence is inviolable and critics say it creates moral equivalence between the parties. I objected that there was. they said, le figaro recorded: “France supports the International Criminal Court, its independence and the fight against impunity in all circumstances.”
France had previously condemned Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, but ultimately concluded that Israel had not followed France’s instructions on how to proceed with the war, according to the communiqué.
The statement continues: “France has been warning for months of the need for strict compliance with international humanitarian law, in particular the unacceptable nature of civilian casualties and inadequate humanitarian access in the Gaza Strip.”
‘Totally useless’: UK rejects international tribunal’s arrest warrant for Prime Minister Netanyahuhttps://t.co/1LKWInvYOQ
—Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) May 21, 2024
The statement is in stark contradiction to the UK’s position, which has called the ICC’s move “completely unhelpful” and questioned whether it is even legal. Downing Street, for example, said the UK does not recognise Palestine as a state and that Israel is not a signatory to the Rome Statute that recognises the ICC, so jurisdiction remains an issue.
France’s neighbor Germany, a staunch defender of Israel in peacetime and not as outright dismissive of ICC developments as Britain, particularly because of its Holocaust history, has been cautious and reluctant to submit evidence to the court. I asked for it.
Berlin: “The chief prosecutor’s allegations are serious and must be proven” Said according to Di Welt.
Germany also maintains that Israel has a right of self-defense under international law “against murderous attacks,” and that the court has ruled that “Israel is a democratic, constitutional state with a strong and independent judiciary.” “We hope that the facts will be given due consideration.” .
During the Trump era, the United States imposed sanctions on the ICC, which claimed jurisdiction over American troops fighting in the war on terrorism. Those sanctions were rescinded by Biden, apparently in the hope that they would lead to a settlement. But on Tuesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States would consider reversing the measure following “grossly misguided decisions” against Israel.
