Israeli writer: The possibility of canceling the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Galant is a golden opportunity for us.

In an article in Maariv, Israeli writer Yehiel Gutman notes that a series of recent developments may hold the realistic possibility of changing or even canceling the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court in The Hague for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

In November, the court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and Galant. Member states are now legally obligated to implement the warrant if they enter their territory and to hand them over to the International Criminal Court for legal action against them on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity during the ongoing war of extermination in the Gaza Strip.

The author warned against underestimating the grave significance of the two arrest warrants and their far-reaching implications for Israel's international standing and the continuation of its war in the future.

tangible repercussions

The author notes that Prime Minister Netanyahu has significantly reduced his foreign visits since the issuance of the arrest warrants, with the exception of visits to the United States and Hungary, which has withdrawn from the court.

He added that several European Union countries, in addition to Canada, have recently called for sanctions to be imposed on Israel due to the situation in the Gaza Strip.

The lack of direct and personal contact between the Prime Minister and heads of state in the Western world has also become clearly noticeable.

However, the author reveals that a series of recent events point to a possible change in direction from The Hague in the near future, most notably the harsh sanctions imposed by the administration of US President Donald Trump on The Hague Court, which have paralyzed some of the court's activities.

Remarkable developments

The author reported that American employees at the court had received warnings that they could be arrested if they returned to their country, and that some non-governmental organizations had stopped cooperating with the court.

Another significant development is the temporary resignation of the court's chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, who led the process of issuing the arrest warrants, due to allegations of sexual misconduct.

Gutman claimed that the Court's Appeals Panel partially accepted Israel's appeal against the arrest warrants, and directed further discussion on the question of the Court's jurisdiction to issue arrest warrants against Israeli citizens.

In light of these developments, it is likely that Israel has a golden opportunity to benefit from canceling the arrest warrants or replacing them with a "subpoena," under which only Netanyahu and Galant are required to appear in court and cooperate with the proceedings.

golden opportunity

The Israeli writer emphasized the need not to miss this opportunity, as the price of arrest warrants is high and could also impact domestic measures in various countries against Israeli soldiers.

It's worth noting that the International Criminal Court (ICC) last month rejected an Israeli request to suspend the implementation of the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Galant, citing a challenge to the court's jurisdiction. The court's Appeals Chamber deemed the request pointless, as it lacked a legal basis, and therefore rejected it, according to a statement published by the court on its website.

The dismissal was considered an important step in the case's trajectory, highlighting the court's determination to move forward with legal proceedings related to the case despite the appeals filed by Israel.

Legal experts asserted that the arrest warrants cannot be revoked because the crime is still ongoing and the evidence has not been lost.