France says it refuses to honor ICC arrest warrant against Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in case of appearance on French territory will not be detained by the authorities of the country, despite the warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his arrest. This was stated in a statement of the French Foreign Ministry on November 27.

The ministry noted that France complies with its obligations under the Rome Statute and cooperates with the ICC. However, at the same time, according to French law, Netanyahu and other Israeli ministers have immunity, which the French authorities will take into account in case the ICC requests his arrest and extradition.

"In accordance with the historic friendship that binds France and Israel, two democratic countries committed to the rule of law and respect for professional and independent justice, France intends to continue working in close cooperation with <...> Netanyahu and other Israeli authorities to achieve peace and security in the Middle East," the communiqué said.

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In turn, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tzahkna said a day earlier that Estonia , after the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, should comply with the decisions of this independent organization, as they are important. The minister noted that the interference of states in ICC decisions at the political level is completely unacceptable.

Prior to that, on November 25, the Financial Times reported that the issuance of an ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant could lead to a split in the Western world. At the same time, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said it was necessary for the G7 countries to take a unified position on the ICC decision.

The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and Galant on November 21. The decision was made because, according to the institution, they are criminally responsible as civilian chiefs "for the war crime of deliberately attacking a civilian population."

On the same day, the head of the EU diplomatic service Josep Borrell said at a press conference in Jordan that the EU considers the issued warrants "binding". In turn, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the ICC's decision to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Galant would in no way help end the conflict in the Middle East.

The situation in the Middle East escalated on the morning of October 7, when Hamas subjected Israel's territory to a massive rocket attack from the Gaza Strip, as well as invaded the border areas in the south of the country and seized hostages. On the same day, Israel began retaliatory strikes against targets in the Gaza Strip.