Despite immense pressure from the US and Israeli policymakers, the ICC judges boldly took what many experts describe as the most groundbreaking step toward holding Israel accountable for its crimes since 1967.
Last week, the International Criminal Court (ICC) made history by issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
A panel of three judges, known as Pre-Trial Chamber I, determined that both leaders “bear criminal responsibility for the following crimes as co-perpetrators, committing the acts jointly with others: the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.”
The decision came despite immense efforts by the US and Israel to challenge the ICC's jurisdiction.
Both governments employed tactics ranging from diplomatic pressure to overt threats, yet the judges stood firm in light of the compelling evidence of atrocities on civilians in Gaza.
This marks the first arrest warrant ever issued against a sitting leader of a state closely allied with Western powers, adding to the historic nature of the decision.
The ICC’s landmark arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant open the door for prosecuting other war criminals and nations complicit in war crimes
