Viktor Orban has invited Benjamin Netanyahu for a state visit to Hungary, to protest against the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court. “We have no choice but to challenge this decision” which “will have no effect” in Hungary, the Hungarian prime minister said in an interview with state radio. According to Orban, a staunch supporter of the Israeli prime minister, it is a “shameless decision, disguised for legal purposes” which leads to “discrediting international law”.
Salvini: “Welcome to Italy”
A position shared by the leader of the League, Matteo Salvini, according to which if Netanyahu wanted to come to Italy “he would be welcome”, because “war criminals are others”. According to the deputy prime minister, the Court’s decision would be “a political choice dictated by some Islamic countries which are majorities in some international institutions”.
Arrest warrant for Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Chief Gallant
“Israel has been under attack for decades, Israeli citizens have been living with the nightmare of missiles and with bunkers under their houses for decades, now say that the war criminal to be arrested is the prime minister of one of the few democracies that exist in the Middle The East seems disrespectful to me, dangerous because Israel does not only defend itself but also defends freedoms, democracies and Western values”, added Salvini.
The arrest warrant
After more than a year of conflict in Gaza, yesterday (Thursday 21 November) the Court issued an arrest warrant against Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, for war crimes and crimes against humanity, provoking the Israel’s fury. Described as “outrageous” by US President Joe Biden, this decision, which means that in principle any of the 124 member states of the Court would be obliged to arrest the two Israeli leaders if they entered their territory, is also causing discussion in Europe.
Leaders of EU institutions and member states are divided over Israel’s war in Gaza following the Hamas attacks on 7 October. “It is not a political decision. It is a decision of an international court,” said the High Representative, Josep Borrell, underlining that all EU member states have the obligation to “put it into practice”.
Divided Europeans
“We respect and support the International Criminal Court but we are convinced that what it must play is a legal and not a political role,” said Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. “We will examine the papers to understand the reasons that led the Court to make this choice. The Foreign G7 will begin on Monday in Fiuggi and we will make decisions together with our allies”, added the leader of Forza Italia. Yesterday the Minister of Defense, Guido Crosetto, said that although the Court’s ruling was in his opinion “wrong”, if Netanyahu and Gallant “came to Italy we would have to arrest them”.
While countries such as Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands have said they will execute arrest warrants should Netanyahu or Gallant come to their territory, the response of other nations has been more cautious. France said it “takes note” of the request and Germany said it was assessing its consequences. Berlin also explained that its policy on sending weapons to Israel remains unchanged. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, approximately 30 percent of global arms exports to Israel come from Germany. Sales include portable anti-tank weapons and ammunition for automatic or semi-automatic firearms.
