Turkey's Erdogan hails 'courageous' ICC warrants for Israeli leaders

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday praised the "courageous decision" of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to seek the arrests of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

"We support the arrest warrant. We consider it important that this courageous decision be carried out by all country members of the accord to renew the trust of humanity in the international system," Erdogan said during a speech in Istanbul.

The ICC issued the warrants against the Israeli leaders and Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif on Thursday on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes in the Gaza conflict. 

"It is imperative that western countries - who for years have given the world lessons on law, justice and human rights - keep their promises at this stage," added Erdogan, whose country is not a state party in the ICC accord. 

Reporting by AFP