Benjamin Netanyahu with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant / Haim Zach (GPO)
Israel’s Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant on Tuesday issued a scathing condemnation of the announcement that arrest warrants against both himself and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for “war crime” Israel has allegedly committed during its Iron Swords War against the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza, calling for “unequivocal” rejection of any such move.
On Monday, The International Criminal Court’s (ICC) prosecutor, Karim Kahn, officially requested arrest warrants be issued for both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant on charges of crimes against humanity allegedly committed in the Gaza war. Warrants are also being sought for Hamas leaders such as Yahya Sinwar, for their part in the October 7 massacre.
In his statements, released on Twitter, Yoav Gallant reiterated his government’s longstanding position that, “The State of Israel is not a party to the Court and does not recognize its authority.”
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“Prosecutor Karim Khan’s attempt to deny the State of Israel the right to defend herself and ensure the release of the hostages held in Gaza must be rejected unequivocally,” Gallant declared.
Yoav Gallant also went on to defend the Israeli military’s actions in Gaza taken in the past eight months in response to the barbaric Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023, in which more than 1,200 Israelis were murdered.
“Israel is fighting a just war against a brutal terrorist organization – Hamas,” he said.
“Since October 7, the State of Israel has been fighting against a brutal terrorist organization, Hamas — an enemy that conducted atrocities against Israeli children, women, and men,” Yoav Gallant added. “Now, it also uses its own people as human shields.”
In spite of this, Israel’s Minister of Defense said, “The IDF is fighting in accordance with international law while taking unprecedented measures to facilitate humanitarian aid. Even in facing a cynical enemy, Israel abides by international humanitarian law, and maintains professional and moral standards.”
Yoav Gallant, in his statement, echoed a similar one made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday night.
Netanyahu called Karim Khan’s decision to seek the arrest warrant “outrageous” and a “moral outrage of historic proportions” as it is directed against the democratically elected leaders of Israel and is concurrent to seeking such warrants for Hamas leaders.
“It will cast an everlasting mark of shame on the international court,” added Netanyahu.
Yoav Gallant concluded his own statement with the following declarations: “We are fighting for the hostages. We are fighting for our lives. We are fighting for our future.”
