From the Liveblog of
Monday, May 20, 2024
‘Modern antisemitism’: Justice minister slams pursuit of ICC arrest warrants against Israeli leaders
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Karim Khan’s decision to seek arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is “one of the greatest moral disgraces in human history,” says Justice Minister Yariv Levin.
“The decision, the purpose of which is an attempt to deny the State of Israel the right of self-defense, and the comparison between Israel’s leaders and the many murderers at the head of Hamas are a clear expression of modern antisemitism and hatred of Jews wherever they are,” he says in a statement.
Khan is also seeking warrants against three Hamas leaders — Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh.
“The State of Israel will continue to fight a just war of defense against terrorism, in the most moral manner and according to international law,” Levin pledges.
“The citizens of Israel, and many of our friends around the world, today stand strongly behind the prime minister, the leadership of the country, the IDF and the security forces,” he says in a statement conspicuously lacking Gallant’s name.
