Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris has said Benjamin Netanyahu will be arrested if he comes to Ireland because of a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes in Gaza. He made these comments on Friday, a day after the arrest warrant was issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant.
whether the Israeli Prime Minister will be arrested when he arrives in Ireland; The country's state-run television channel RTE asked Prime Minister Simon Harris on Friday. In response, the Irish Prime Minister said, 'Yes, of course he will be arrested.'
“We support the International Court of Justice and enforce their mandate,” he said.
On Thursday, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Galante for committing crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza from October 8 last year to May 20 this year.
It said Netanyahu and Galant were responsible for using starvation as a method of warfare and deliberately targeting civilians. Both of them have a role as players behind the crime.
Netanyahu, however, condemned the move by the International Criminal Court as anti-Semitic and 'absurd and false'. On the same day, the court in The Hague issued a warrant against the head of the military wing of Hamas, the ruling group in the Gaza Strip, Mohammed Deif.
Meanwhile, this Hamas leader was killed in an Israeli airstrike last July, Israel said. However, Hamas has not confirmed his death.
RTE's Simon Harris said Ireland would also enforce the ICC warrant against Deif. Although the ICC could not confirm whether this leader of Hamas is dead or alive.
Relations between Ireland and Israel have deteriorated since Dublin recognized Palestine as a state in May. Israel withdrew its ambassador from Dublin after recognizing Palestine.
Irish Foreign Minister Michael Martin said on Friday that he disagreed with US President Joe Biden's comments that the warrants issued against Netanyahu and Galante were “outrageous”.
In an interview given to the country's media Newstalk Radio, Martin said that war crimes have been committed in Gaza. There people have been punished collectively…. This is genocide.
