Israel’s Herzog slams ICC arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant

Israel's President Isaac Herzog has condemned the International Criminal Court's decision to issue arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on war crimes charges, calling it “a dark day for justice and humanity.”

“Taken in bad faith, the outrageous decision at the ICC has turned universal justice into a universal laughingstock. It makes a mockery of the sacrifice of all those who fight for justice – from the Allied victory over the Nazis till today,” the president declared, News.Az reports, citing Israeli media.

The court’s decision “ignores the plight of the 101 Israeli hostages held in brutal captivity by Hamas in Gaza,” he continued.

“It ignores Hamas’s cynical use of its own people as human shields. It ignores the basic fact that Israel was barbarically attacked and has the duty and right to defend its people. It ignores the fact that Israel is a vibrant democracy, acting under international humanitarian law, and going to great lengths to provide for the humanitarian needs of the civilian population.”

By issuing arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, the ICC has “chosen the side of terror and evil over democracy and freedom, and turned the very system of justice into a human shield for Hamas’ crimes against humanity,” Herzog charged, calling for “true moral clarity in the face of an Iranian empire of evil that seeks to destabilize our region and the world.”

News.Az