ICC warrants are binding, EU cannot pick and choose: Borrell
Josep Borrell speaks with the media as he arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers at the European Council building in Brussels, on August 29, 2024. (AP)
Josep Borrell, the European Union's foreign policy chief said on Saturday that nations cannot choose whether or not to carry out arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The ICC issued on Thursday arrest warrants for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and former Security Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of "crimes against humanity and war crimes," compelling the ICC's 124 member states to detain Netanyahu and Gallant should they enter their territory.
The warrants come as the death toll from the Israeli genocidal war against the Gaza Strip surpassed 43,985 martyrs over 412 days.
All EU member states have signed the Rome Statute, the ICC's founding statute, and some EU governments have stated they will complete their obligations under the legislation if necessary, but Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has encouraged Netanyahu to visit his country, assuring him that he would face no dangers if so.
During a visit to Cyprus for an Israeli workshop, Borell stated that EU states "are obliged to implement the decision of the court. It's not optional,"
Those same commitments were imposed on countries desiring to join the EU, he noted, telling Reuters "It would be very funny that the newcomers have an obligation that current members don't fulfill."
According to an official statement, the office of Netanyahu dismissed the ICC decision to issue arrest warrants against him and his former Security Minister, labeling the move as "anti-Semitic".
Visibly frustrated by the overuse of the "antisemitism," accusation, Borrell expressed that "Every time someone disagrees with the policy of one Israeli government, they are accused of antisemitism."
He explained he had the "right to criticize the decisions of the Israeli government, be it Mr Netanyahu or someone else, without being accused of antisemitism. This is not acceptable. That's enough."
ICC warrants expose 'Israel' and US defenders : WashPo
According to Ishaan Tharoor, the US reactions to the recent ICC arrest warrants signify a humiliating moment for "Israel" as many nations like the Netherlands, France, and Canada vowed to abide by international law.
Tharoor wrote in The Washington Post on Friday that Benjamin Netanyahu may have to think twice before making an emergency stop in nations that would arrest him, something Andrew Miller, a former US State Department official calls "partial reverse of normalization."
Rather than Israeli officials freely traveling to other nations, they are now unable to visit countries " that have recognized Israel for decades," Miller notes
The ICC's pursuit of Vladimir Putin has received backing from the Biden administration and several Republican senators, with Senator Lindsey Graham supporting the court's activities as a critical, evidence-based step toward international justice "that will stand the test of history."
In a brazen double standard, Graham recently described the court as "a dangerous joke," and "irresponsible" for issuing a warrant for Netanyahu, calling for the US to sanction the body, Tharoor writes.