Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog. Photo: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90
On 21 November, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Galant. This decision caused a wave of outrage in world politics, especially in Israel.
Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog sharply criticised the ICC’s decision, calling it “outrageous” and “unfair”. In his statement published on social network X, he said:
“An unfair and outrageous decision of the ICC has been made, which has turned justice into a public laughingstock.”
The Duke stressed that the court’s actions actually justify the crimes of the Palestinian Hamas movement, which, according to him, uses the justice system as a “human shield” for its activities.
The President called this day “black for justice” and “black for humanity”, stressing that the ICC ignores the dead and hostages of the Israeli people, as well as the brutal attack by Hamas on Israel.
The ICC’s decision also provoked reactions outside Israel. The United States strongly condemned the warrants, stating that the ICC lacks jurisdiction over Israeli politicians. At the same time, EU High Representative Josep Borrell said that all EU member states are obliged to comply with the court’s decision against Netanyahu.
This situation is sharpening the international debate on the role and limits of the ICC’s jurisdiction and increasing tensions around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
