Following the announcement that the International Criminal Court (ICC) intended to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and the leaders of the Palestinian Hamas group, France has stated that it broke ranks with its Western allies in support of the court.
The French Foreign Ministry stated on Monday that the Pre-Trial Chamber of the court would choose whether to issue these warrants against Israel after reviewing the material presented by the Prosecutor to bolster his allegations.
In all circumstances, the ministry stated, “France supports the International Criminal Court, its independence, and the fight against impunity.”
Paris further stated that it has been issuing warnings “for many months” over the need of rigorous compliance with international humanitarian law, namely with “the unacceptable level of civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip and the lack of humanitarian access.”
The US, whose President Joe Biden criticized the move as “outrageous,” and other Western allies like the UK, Italy, and France, have differed significantly from France’s choice.
Being one of the few Western countries prepared to take a more assertive line against Israel, France has opposed the US veto of resolutions calling for a cease-fire in the UN Security Council and has called for an immediate cease-fire.
Despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in the besieged enclave, Israel persisted in its onslaught in Gaza.
Since then, after a Hamas strike in October, over 35,500 Palestinians have died—the great majority of them were women and children—and over 79,600 more have been injured.
Large tracts of Gaza remained in ruins more than seven months into the Israeli assault, with a severe siege of food, clean water, and medical supplies.
The International Court of Justice has accused Israel of “genocide” and urged Tel Aviv to take steps to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches civilians in Gaza and that its soldiers do not commit acts of genocide.
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