Falcon powers – The international reactions have been divided over the request by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague to issue arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders – Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh.
While Washington condemned the decision, describing it as “outrageous” in the words of President Joe Biden, the reactions of European Union countries differed. While France and Belgium supported the ICC, Germany said the decision gave a “false impression of equality between the parties.” Italy, on the other hand, considered the matter “unacceptable.”
Key Reactions:
Belgium
The Belgian Foreign Ministry said the prosecutor’s request is an “important step,” and the ministry affirmed its support for the court.
France
France announced its support for the International Criminal Court, and the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued late on Monday that it “supports the International Criminal Court, its independence, and the fight against impunity in all cases.”
The statement also emphasized that Paris condemned the “anti-Semitic massacres committed by Hamas.”
Regarding Israel, the Foreign Ministry statement said: “It is up to the Court to decide on the issuance of these arrest warrants, after examining the evidence presented by the Prosecutor to support his allegations, while respecting the principle of complementarity and action.”
Paris also stressed that it has been warning for several months “of the need for strict compliance with international humanitarian law, particularly the unacceptable nature of civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip and the insufficient delivery of humanitarian aid.”
Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib wrote on the X platform: “The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan’s request for arrest warrants against both Hamas and Israeli leaders is an important step in the investigation into the situation in Palestine.” She also emphasized the need to “prosecute those responsible for crimes in Gaza at the highest levels, regardless of their personalities.”
