Netanyahu may avoid staying in Europe on his Trip to the US, Fearing Arrest
The prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, is said to be avoiding a stop-off in Europe during his visit to the United States for fear of being arrested as the International Criminal Court (ICC) had sought arrest warrants.
Netanyahu is planning to fly to the US on July 24 to address Congress and meet with President Joe Biden.
On May 20, the ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan sought Interpol arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, the Defense Minister of Israel, for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Khan also obtained warrants for three of the most prominent top Hamas figures, including Haniyeh Ismail.
KAN Israeli public broadcasting reported that Netanyahu’s office discussed the possibility of stopovers in the Czech Republic Or Hungary—two countries perceived to have relations with Israel and which described the ICC’s arrest demands as ‘unacceptable.’ This was because the Wing of Zion, which is Netanyahu’s aircraft, could not fly across the Atlantic with a full complement of passengers; hence, a direct flight to Washington was taken with fewer passengers.
Since America is not a member of the ICC, receiving Netanyahu after an arrest warrant has been issued for him will undoubtedly attract controversy. Likewise, although Israel has not joined ICC membership, Palestine has been a member of the said institution since 2015.
The ICC was founded in 2002 and is an independent international organization with mandatory decisions. It is not a part of the United Nations or any other international intergovernmental organization. The court interference comes at a time when the world continues to condemn Israel’s action in Gaza, especially after they continued bombing the area despite the UN Security Council asking for an immediate ceasefire.
When violence escalated after a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, up to 38,200 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed and more than 87,900 others wounded, as reported by local health officials. This nine-month war has devastated large parts of the territory, and earlier this year, the blockade of basic needs, including food, water and medical necessities.
Even now, it is accused of genocide by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which has recently demanded that Israel cease its military operations in Rafah, a southern city in which more than a million Palestinians fled. However, these rulings have not stopped the Israeli militant campaign, and the international community has criticized this.
An absence of Netanyahu from a European airport if he decides to prevent a similar mishap can be described as an addition to legal and diplomatic constraints of Israeli leadership that continues to face such issues due to international condemnation and the general significance of the Gaza conflict.
