ICC arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant spark celebrations online and call for action

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday, sparking widespread reactions on social media. 

The 124 state parties to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC, are now under an obligation to arrest Netanyahu and Gallant. 

In this case, Netanyahu and Gallant will likely restrict their travel so as not to be detained - something Russia's Vladimir Putin has done since being indicted by the ICC in March last year.

Many of the states that will be compelled to hand over Netanyahu and Gallant are allies of Israel, including the UK, France, Germany, and Hungary. 

People who have been condemning Israel’s devastating war on Gaza for the past year celebrated the decision. An outspoken critic of the war, former executive director of Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Roth, said the decision shows that “fighting by war crimes, starvation and deprivation, is not allowed”.

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