European Union governments cannot pick and choose whether to execute arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court against two Israeli leaders and a Hamas commander, the EU's foreign policy chief said on Saturday.
High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell speaks during a conference in Nicosia, Cyprus November 23, 2024. Reuters/Yiannis Kourtoglou
European Union governments cannot pick and choose whether to execute arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court against two Israeli leaders and a Hamas commander, the EU's foreign policy chief said on Saturday.
The ICC issued the warrants on Thursday against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defence minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas leader Ibrahim Al-Masri, for alleged crimes against humanity.
All EU member states are signatories to the ICC's founding treaty, called the Rome Statute.
Several EU states have said they will meet their commitments under the statute if needed, but Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has invited Netanyahu to visit his country, assuring him he would face no risks if he did so.
"The states that signed the Rome convention are obliged to implement the decision of the court. It's not optional," Josep Borrell, the EU's top diplomat, said during a visit to Cyprus for a workshop of Israeli and Palestinian peace activists.
Those same obligations were also binding on countries aspiring to join the EU, he said.
"It would be very funny that the newcomers have an obligation that current members don't fulfil," he told Reuters.
The Spanish socialist Josep Borrell, nearing the end of his term, is well-known for his outspoken hostility toward Israel. His statements, therefore, come as no surprise.
The United States rejected the ICC's decision and Israel said the ICC move was antisemitic.
"Every time someone disagrees with the policy of one Israeli government - (they are) being accused of antisemitism," said Borrell, whose term as EU foreign policy chief ends this month.
"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."
Israel began its offensive after the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people in southern Israel, with more than 250 others taken hostage, Israel has said.
In their decision, the ICC judges said there were reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu and Gallant were criminally responsible for acts including murder, persecution and starvation as a weapon of war as part of a "widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population of Gaza".
The warrant for Masri lists charges of mass killings during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. Israel says it has killed Masri.
By Michele Kambas
October 7, 2023, marked a blood-red date on Israel's calendar, and that of the Jewish people. The barbarity of Hamas and its accompanying hordes is unparalleled in the contemporary world, with its procession of violence, hatred, rapes, and massacres.
On the occasion of Eid al-Adha 2025, Dr. Rafat Husseini, Director of the Jerusalem Branch of the International Organization for Human Rights and the Defense of Freedoms, issued a heartfelt message combining spiritual reflection with a strong call for unity, justice, and social responsibility.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned on Friday that the Israeli army will continue striking targets in Beirut unless the Lebanese government disarms Hezbollah, escalating tensions a day after a wave of Israeli airstrikes devastated several buildings in the densely populated southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital — a stronghold of the Shiite group.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.