EU warns: the Criminal Court’s order to apprehend Netanyahu is not optional

Nicosia. The governments of the European Union cannot choose whether or not to execute the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, Josep Borrell stated yesterday, high representative of the European Union (EU) for foreign affairs and security policy, at a time when a group of German officials suggested that their country would not abide by the ICC ruling because to the Nazi history of Germany.

States that signed the Rome Convention are obliged to implement the court’s decision. It is not optionalBorrell said during a visit to Cyprus for a workshop for Israeli and Palestinian peace activists.

US Senator Lindsey Graham threatened Canada, Great Britain, Germany and France with sanctions if they try to help the ICCand stressed that the United States will have to devastate the economy of those countries that comply with the order of the international court.

In Germany, officials hinted that the country would not arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Berlin’s relationship with Tel Aviv and anti-Semitism, according to the newspaper The Jerusalem Post.

I find it difficult to imagine that arrests could be carried out in Germany on this basissaid Steffen Hebestreit, spokesman for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Hebestreit did not respond to whether Netanyahu might visit Germany, but said his government is analyzing legal issues about how to comply with the court order.

We will carefully study the internal steps. Any further action will be taken only when a visit by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is foreseeable.he indicated, according to the Israeli media.

US President-elect Donald Trump reacted with surprise when Israeli President Isaac Herzog assured him earlier this month that Israeli intelligence assesses that half of the prisoners are still alive and that their release is an urgent matteraccording to three people familiar with the matter, reported the news outlet Axios.

Meanwhile, two other people informed about the conversation confirmed that Trump thinks that most of the hostages are dead, according to the American media, detailing that the dialogue took place during a call to congratulate the Republican magnate on his victory in the elections. presidential.

The media added that when President Joe Biden received the billionaire in a two-hour meeting in the presidential office, the issue of the hostages still in Gaza was addressed and he proposed that they work together to reach an agreement.

I don’t care if Trump gets all the credit as long as they come homeThe president said to the families of the American captives in a meeting, shortly after his conversation with the president-elect, two sources mentioned.