‘No Pick and Choose’ – EU Chief Says Member States Obliged to Implement ICC Decisions

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

“Its decisions are legally binding: there is no pick & choose. Threats against it are unacceptable, incl. from (the) US Senate.”

European Union member states were obliged to carry out arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister Yoav Gallant, the EU’s foreign policy chief has said.

“The states that signed the Rome convention are obliged to implement the decision of the court. It’s not optional,” Josep Borrell said on Saturday, according to a Reuters report.

Those same commitments would apply to countries eager to join the EU, he said during a visit to Cyprus for a workshop of Israeli and Palestinian peace activists.

#ICC arrest warrants are judicial, not political & have nothing to do w/ antisemitism. Since its creation, the EU has always strongly supported the #ICC. Its decisions are legally binding: there is no pick & choose. Threats against it are unacceptable, incl. from US Senate. 2/5

— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) November 23, 2024

“It would be very funny that the newcomers have an obligation that current members don’t fulfil,” Borrell told Reuters.

The ICC on Thursday issued arrest warrants for the two Israeli officials as well as a Hamas leader on charges of “crimes against humanity and war crimes,” compelling the ICC’s 124 member states to arrest them should they enter their territory.

Rejection of Antisemitism

All EU member states have signed the Rome Statute, the ICC’s founding statute. Some EU governments have stated they will fulfil their obligations under the legislation if necessary. However Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Friday invited Netanyahu to visit his country, reportedly assuring him that “the ICC ruling will have no effect.”

The White House and Israel have rejected the ICC’s decision, with Netanyahu calling it “antisemitic.”

‘Outrageous’ – White House, US Officials Reject ICC Arrest Warrants

“Every time someone disagrees with the policy of one Israeli government – (they are) being accused of antisemitism,” Borrell was further reported as saying.

“I have the right to criticise the decisions of the Israeli government, be it Mr Netanyahu or someone else, without being accused of antisemitism. This is not acceptable. That’s enough,” he added.

‘Cannot Pretend to Defend IHL’

Borrell, whose term as EU foreign policy chief ends this month, said on X on Saturday that “ICC arrest warrants are judicial, not political & have nothing to do w/ antisemitism.”

He added that since its creation, the EU “has always strongly supported the ICC.”

“That’s an outrageous lie by Israel.”

The ICC arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu is “not anti-Semitic”, says leading human rights lawyer and former UN war crimes judge Geoffrey Robertson KC. pic.twitter.com/f6N73DjtLS

— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) November 22, 2024

“Its decisions are legally binding: there is no pick & choose. Threats against it are unacceptable, incl. from US Senate,” Borrell added.

Pointing out that “Gaza has become hell on earth,” Borrell said the EU “cannot pretend to defend multilateralism, IHL, rule of law & not implement ICC or ICJ decisions.”

Ongoing Genocide

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.

Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza reported that the Israeli occupation carried out seven massacres against families in the Strip, resulting in 120 fatalities and 205 injuries over the past 48 hours.

The ministry further stated that many victims remain trapped under rubble… pic.twitter.com/lV1vf6P7ra

— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) November 23, 2024

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 44,176 Palestinians have, to date, been killed, and 104,473 wounded.

Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.

Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

Acute Famine

The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.

Famine spreads in southern Gaza as Israeli war criminals block the entry of flour. This is the daily morning line for bread. #WarCriminalNetanyahu #GazaGenocide pic.twitter.com/eV0zXO0Hq1

— Ramy Abdu| رامي عبده (@RamAbdu) November 23, 2024

The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.

Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.

(PC, Al-Mayadeen)

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