The French Foreign Ministry announced its belief that Israeli leaders whom the International Criminal Court have issued arrest warrants for over alleged war crimes in Gaza actually have “immunities” from such prosecution.
The court issued the warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Nov. 21. After initially indicating it would adhere to the statutes of the ICC — which would include arresting them if they step foot in French territory — the foreign ministry released a new statement calling the issuance of the warrants “not a ruling but the formalization of an indictment.”
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The French ministry issued its latest statement on Wednesday, pointing out that the Rome Statute, which established the court, outlines that a country that is a part of the court cannot be required to act in a contradiction of its obligations “with respect to the immunities of States not party to the ICC.”
“France intends to continue working in close cooperation with Prime Minister Netanyahu and the other Israeli authorities to achieve peace and security for all in the Middle East,” the French Ministry’s Wednesday statement said.
The White House, for its part, said it “fundamentally rejects” the court’s issuance of arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant. Not all western countries agree however, as leaders from both the Netherlands and Canada said they would abide by the obligation if put in that position.
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Over the course of the last week, as the world reacted to the ICC’s warrants, the French and United States governments were continuing their efforts to broker a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday that the U.S. and France got both sides to agree to a ceasefire deal that will be in effect for 60 days, though the U.S. intends for the deal to be permanent.
The ceasefire took effect on Wednesday morning, though Israel’s military spent the hours before the deal commenced carrying out attacks in southern Lebanon.
Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron released a joint statement saying that they got a deal agreed upon by both sides “after many weeks of tireless diplomacy,” adding, “and we remain determined to prevent this conflict from becoming another cycle of violence.”
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The U.S. and France will also now be involved in the combined effort by Israel, Lebanon, and UNIFIL (the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) to ensure both Israel and Hezbollah adhere to the details of the ceasefire agreement.
Biden and Macron have sought to get a ceasefire deal done for several month. In late September, they collaberated on a “joint call for a temporary ceasefire,” which was ultimately endorsed by Australia, Canada, European Union, France, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.
