New York - Saba:
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres declared his respect for the independence of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
This came in a press conference by UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, last night, commenting on the arrest warrants issued by the ICC against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former army minister Yoav Galant.
Asked whether Netanyahu could be arrested if he attends the UN General Assembly meeting in September 2025, Dujarric said: “Our security teams are obliged to protect us and the building, not to arrest anyone.”
Regarding how the issuance of an arrest warrant for a person could affect their participation in UN meetings, Dujarric said that this situation is related to the country in which the international organization's events are held.
On Thursday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued two international arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant on charges of “war crimes and crimes against humanity” during the 413-day genocidal war on Gaza.
The court said in a statement that “Pre-Trial Chamber I rejected Israel's challenges to jurisdiction and issued two arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant.”
ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan urged member states and non-members of the court to cooperate on the arrest warrants issued against Netanyahu and Gallant, while many countries of the world emphasized their respect for the role and independence of the court.
On May 20, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan requested the issuance of arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant for their responsibility for “war crimes and crimes against humanity” committed by the Israeli occupation army in Gaza since October 7, 2023.
In August, Khan again asked the court to expedite the issuance of arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant.
The genocidal war committed by the Israeli occupation against our people in the Gaza Strip has left more than 148,000 martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 10,000 missing, amid massive destruction and famine that killed dozens of children and the elderly, in one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world.
Israel, the occupying Power, continues its massacres in disregard of the United Nations Security Council resolution to end them immediately and the orders of the International Court of Justice to take measures to prevent genocide and improve the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza.
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