ICC making mockery of international law by seeking Netanyahu’s arrest — expert
Herman Zakharyayev stressed that both Russia and Israel are pursuing an independent foreign policy and are resolving their geopolitical problems
MOSCOW, May 21. /TASS/. The International Criminal Court (ICC) is undermining the very idea of international justice by seeking the arrest of countries’ top politicians, such as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and issuing relevant documents that cannot be implemented, a Russian expert told TASS.
"We see that with a tenacity worthy of a better use the ICC is seeking the arrest of international-level politicians and leaders of countries that do not recognize its jurisdiction," said Herman Zakharyayev, President of the International Charity Fund for Mountain Jews (STMEGI). "Setting aside the subject matter of the charges, it looks as if the ICC is deliberately discrediting the very idea of international law by means of issuing documents which have literally no chance of being implemented."
He stressed that both Russia and Israel are pursuing an independent foreign policy and are resolving their geopolitical problems. According to Zakharyayev, the ICC’s actions against the legitimate authorities of countries that are full-fledged members of the United Nations can be seen as further evidence that the Russian and Israeli peoples are on the same side of history.
On May 20, ICC prosecutor Karim Khan requested that Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, saying that the ICC has "reasonable grounds to believe" that they "bear criminal responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on the territory of the State of Palestine (in the Gaza strip) from at least October 8, 2023. He also demanded that arrest warrants be issued for three Hamas leaders.
Last year, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian presidential commissioner for children's rights, on charges of alleged involvement in war crimes, such as "illegal deportation of the population," including children, and their illegal transfer to Russia.