Editorial
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to begin a four-day visit to Hungary on Thursday, despite facing an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over allegations of war crimes in Gaza. Israel has strongly rejected the charges, calling them politically motivated and fueled by antisemitism.
The ICC, established in 2002, prosecutes war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and the crime of aggression when national courts are unable or unwilling to act. It has issued over 60 arrest warrants and convicted a small number of individuals, primarily from African militias. Netanyahu’s arrest warrant accuses him of crimes such as murder, persecution, and the use of starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza.
The ICC is investigating multiple global conflicts, including in Palestine, Ukraine, and Myanmar. Although Israel is not a member of the ICC and does not recognize its jurisdiction, the court’s mandate extends to the Palestinian territories, which joined the ICC in 2015. This has allowed the ICC to investigate potential war crimes by both Hamas and Israeli forces in Gaza.
Pl subscribe to the YouTube channel of republicpolicy.com for quality podcasts:
Notably, the ICC’s jurisdiction has been a point of contention. Countries like the U.S., China, and Russia are not members, with many citing concerns over politically motivated prosecutions. Despite this, Netanyahu and other leaders accused of war crimes, like Russian President Vladimir Putin, have denied wrongdoing and argued against the ICC’s jurisdiction over their actions.
This visit to Hungary comes as international scrutiny over Israel’s actions in Gaza intensifies, with growing calls for accountability from global human rights groups and the international community.
