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Belgium welcomes ICC’s ‘important move’ to seek arrest warrant for Netanyahu

May 21, 2024 at 11:40 am

Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib makes a statement at a panel discussion in Brussels, Belgium on 13 February, 2024 [Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency]

Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib yesterday welcomed the ICC prosecutor’s decision to seek arrest warrants for those involved in “war crimes” in Palestine, as an “important move” to investigate the situation there.

“The request submitted by the Court’s Prosecutor, Karim Khan, for arrest warrants against both Hamas and Israeli officials is an important step in the investigation of the situation in Palestine,” she posted on X.

“Belgium will continue to support the essential work of international justice to ensure that those responsible for all crimes are held accountable,” the minister added.

Earlier in the day, Khan announced that he has asked the court’s judges to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders on charges of committing “war crimes” and “crimes against humanity”.

Netanyahu and Gallant are charged with “starvation of civilians as a method of warfare,” “intentionally causing severe suffering or serious damage to body or health,” “willfully causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or health”, “willful killing or murder”, “intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population”, “extermination and/or murder, including in the context of deaths caused by starvation” and “persecution” among other charges.

This comes as the death toll from Israel’s relentless bombing campaign in Gaza rises to over 35,500 Palestinians since October 2023.

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