Johannesburg: The Republic of South Africa has expressed its approval of the arrest warrants issued by the International Court of Justice (ICC) for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, marking a significant development in international law and accountability.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA, the South African International Affairs and Development Department released a media statement welcoming the ICC’s decision. The statement emphasized that these arrest warrants represent an important move towards achieving justice for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Palestine. The department reiterated South Africa’s dedication to upholding international law and urged all state parties to comply with their obligations under the Rome Statute. It called for the global community to maintain the rule of law and ensure accountability for human rights violations.
The ICC’s issuance of arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant c
omes six months after chief prosecutor Karim Khan requested them. This marks the first time in the court’s 22-year history that arrest warrants have been issued against senior officials allied with Western nations. The court’s Pre-Trial Chamber I, comprising a panel of three judges, rejected challenges by Israel under articles 18 and 19 of the Rome Statute, leading to the warrants’ issuance. Although the warrants are classified as “secret,” the court decided to release them due to ongoing actions similar to those addressed in the warrants, particularly Israel’s continuing military actions in Gaza.
All 125 states that are signatories to the Rome Statute are now obligated to arrest and surrender the individuals to the ICC in The Hague, as trials cannot proceed in absentia. However, the ICC lacks enforcement powers and relies on member states’ cooperation for arrests and extraditions. Although Israel is not a member of the ICC, Palestine, which gained membership in 2015, allows the court to investigate alleged
crimes committed by Israeli individuals in occupied territories, including the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem.
Since October 7, Israel has conducted an intensive military campaign in Gaza, resulting in the deaths of at least 44,056 Palestinians and injuries to 104,268 others. Additionally, approximately 10,000 individuals remain unaccounted for, presumed dead beneath the rubble of their homes. Both Palestinian and international organizations report that a significant majority of the casualties are women and children. The conflict has also led to the forced displacement of nearly two million people from across Gaza, with many seeking refuge in the densely populated southern city of Rafah near the Egyptian border, marking the largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
