Israel prepares for a potential arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court for Netanyahu and Gallant

Israel is getting ready for possible International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants for Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Hague-based court republished an announcement outlining its operations on Sunday in Hebrew, Arabic, and English.

The notice states, “After gathering evidence and identifying a suspect, the prosecution requests ICC judges to issue: an arrest warrant, which national authorities enforce; or a summons to appear, where suspects appear voluntarily,”

The ICC has posted this post on its social media platforms four times since the beginning of June.

Prosecutor Karim Khan of the International Criminal Court (ICC) declared on May 20 that he had asked for arrest warrants for Gallant and Netanyahu on allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.

As of right now, the court has not rendered an official ruling.

It is unknown how Tel Aviv will react if arrest warrants are issued, despite the fact that Israel has denounced and rejected the prosecutor’s request.

Israeli public television KAN reported that “Discussions are underway in Israel regarding a defence strategy for Netanyahu, Gallant, and the state of Israel in case the ICC issues arrest warrants,”

It also stated, “The preparations aim to ensure that Israel is ready if such a decision is made by the ICC judges,”

Israel’s ability to provide a legal defence at The Hague is yet unknown, according to KAN, because Tel Aviv does not acknowledge the legitimacy of the court.

“Israel prefers to prepare for the worst-case scenario, which includes potential arrest orders, and is thus discussing a possible defence stance against such a decision,” it added.

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(Source: AA)