The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed from at least October 8, 2023 until at least May 20,2024.
The court has also issued a warrant for the arrest of Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri (AKA Mohammed Deif),for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes committed on the territory of the State of Israel and the State of Palestine from at least October 7, 2023.
These arrest warrants are a sign of Netanyahu’s abdication of the rules of war, international law, and democracy itself. Netanyahu recently put forward draft legislation to prevent any state commission of inquiry investigation into the Hamas terror attacks on October 7 even within Israel, as has traditionally been protocol in the past. It is clear that he and his coalition partners have no intention of adhering to the basic tenets of democracy on which the state was founded and it is therefore not surprising that international bodies have intervened.
“It is indeed a dark day when Israeli leadership, those tasked with upholding the obligations of any other nation-state within the family of nations, are issued arrest warrants for the abdication of said obligations,” stated JSpaceCanada Executive Director Maytal Kowalski.
“We must also remember that behind the matters of law and democracy are the outcomes - tens of thousands of Palestinians killed and many more injured, mass starvation, and destruction in Gaza. We hope this move can serve as a step toward justice for those suffering from this war, and can increase pressure to reach a hostage release and ceasefire deal.”
We applaud the Canadian government’s commitment to respect and uphold the decisions of the International Criminal Court, a position for which we have long advocated.