Yoav Gallant
Israel rejects the authority of the International Criminal Court and the legitimacy of the arrest warrants it has issued.
The immunities “will have to be taken into account should the ICC request of us their arrest and surrender,” the French government stated on Wednesday.
Israeli experts weigh in on the various ways the country could respond to the controversial ruling.
Charges will “mean what people want it to mean, without ever being fully litigated,” a retired lieutenant colonel said.
The former defense minister will travel on a regular flight, risking an emergency landing in a country that accepts the court’s jurisdiction.
The decision put the Jewish state in one basket with Russia and Sudan but may invite American sanctions.
“Long gone are the days when the nation of Israel could not defend itself,” declared the former defense minister.
“The truth that has been revealed is that international justice is with us, while it is against the Zionist entity,” said senior Hamas figure Izzat al-Risheq.
“Taken in bad faith, the outrageous decision at the ICC has turned universal justice into a universal laughingstock,” said the Israeli president.
The warrants drew heated rebuke from across Israel’s political spectrum.
The Hague issued warrants for Israel’s prime minister and former defense minister due to alleged “crimes against humanity and war crimes” in Gaza.
Likud lawmaker Amit Halevi reportedly told a detained filmmaker he intends to increase the pressure on Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz.
