Comparing Putin's & Netanyahu's Arrest Warrants

The International Criminal Court asks for warrant against Netanyahu for war crimes

Today, after lots of rumours that it was on its way, the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced that it was seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant and a number of Hamas’ leaders.

Only a year ago, the West were applauding the ICC’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for Russia’s Vladimir Putin. Now however, the arrest warrant against Netanyahu is “outrageous,” according to US President Joe Biden. Anthony Blinken said Washington “fundamentally rejects” the move.

In reality, the ICC is a bit of a joke with many countries, including Russia, Israel and the US not recognising the court. Other countries, such as South Africa, just ignore the arrest warrants when it pleases them. It’s all just theatre to make one side cheer Putin’s warrant one minute and boo Netanyahu’s the next, with the other side doing the exact opposite.

Whatever your views on Netanyahu’s arrest warrant (please make them heard in the comments below), I found it interesting to read the details and then compare them with Putin’s arrest warrant.

Putin was accused of “the war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation”.

Apparently Putin had authorised the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia where they had been adopted by Russians.

Compare this with the accusations against Netanyahu:

• Starvation of civilians as a method of warfare as a war crime;

• Wilfully causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or health or cruel treatment as a war crime;

• Wilful killing or Murder as a war crime;

• Intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population as a war crime;

• Extermination and/or murder including in the context of deaths caused by starvation, as a crime against humanity;

• Persecution as a crime against humanity;

• Other inhumane acts as crimes against humanity.

Quite the difference!