Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada will “comply” with the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“We will uphold international law and abide by all regulations and international court decisions,” Trudeau said. “This is who we are as Canadians.”
On Thursday, the ICC announced: Arrest warrant for Prime Minister Netanyahu He has indicted his former defense minister, Yoav Galant, for “crimes against humanity and crimes committed” since the Israel-Hamas war began more than a year ago.
The ICC was created in 2002 to prosecute war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity when member states are unwilling or unable to do so. Canada is among the 124 member states.
The ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Hamas military commander Mohamed Deif, who Israel said was killed in a July airstrike on Gaza.
Both Israel and Hamas reject this claim.
Speaking to reporters Thursday, Prime Minister Trudeau reiterated the federal government’s call for a ceasefire in the war.
“We need a ceasefire that protects civilians. We need to get back on track to a two-state solution with a peaceful Israel and a peaceful Palestinian state,” Trudeau said.
In Washington, DC, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly reiterated the prime minister’s position.
“Our world requires accountability, and on that basis Canada will comply with its obligations under the ICC Treaty,” Joly said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has described the arrest warrant as an “anti-Semitic decision.”
Meanwhile, Israeli Ambassador to Canada Ido Moed disagrees with Canada’s stance on complying with the warrant.
“We call on the Canadian government to firmly support Israel’s right to defend itself by rejecting and condemning the ICC’s decision,” Moed said in a statement.
The United States, which is not a member of the ICC, rejects the ICC’s decision.
“The United States fundamentally rejects the court’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for a senior Israeli official,” White House National Security Council Spokesman said. “We remain deeply concerned by the troubling procedural errors that led to this decision.” , added that the United States is discussing next steps with partner countries.
The ICC does not have its own police force to execute warrants. It is up to the 124 member countries to cooperate or not.
Using files from Reuters
