Fadli Zon Supports International Criminal Court To Arrest Netanyahu

Fadli Zon (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA A few days ago, the Attorney for the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, filed an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as three Hamas leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity that occurred in the Gaza Strip.

The chairman of the House of Representatives' Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Agency (BKSAP), Fadli Zon, welcomed ICC's move. "The initiative of the submission letter deserves appreciation and is very positive. This is a form of strong pressure so that Israel immediately stops its genocide and obeys international law. Most importantly, this initiative is an effort to encourage a more orderly, civilized, and impunity world," Fadli said in a written explanation received by VOI on Saturday, May 25.

However, the Gerindra Party politician from the West Java V electoral district questioned the ICC prosecutor's decision to also arrest three Hamas leaders, namely Ismail Haniyeh, Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Masri, and Yahya Sinwar.

"The international public can understand the arrests of Netanyahu and Gallant, but the arrest of Hamas leaders is difficult to accept. Palestine is a victim, not a perpetrator of crime. The attack on October 7 cannot be used as an excuse to consider Hamas responsible for war crimes and humanity. This also cannot be an excuse for Israel to commit genocide. The ICC prosecutor must look at it from a broader historical perspective," said Fadli.

Fadli stressed that last October 7 resistance measures were an accumulation of the suffering the Palestinian people have experienced for more than seven decades. "Palestinian people have been killed, looted, expelled, criminalized, and discriminated against. Suffering in the Gaza Strip is more severe due to the blockade since 2007, making the region the largest prison in the world," he said.

In addition, Fadli reminded the importance of following up on the letter of submission for the arrest of the ICC prosecutor. "We must encourage the international community to ensure the next concrete steps. Otherwise, it will only be an empty message," he said.

According to the Deputy Chairman of the Gerindra Board of Trustees, there are several concrete steps that can be taken. "First, we must mobilize global strength to support ICC judges to immediately issue arrest warrants. We must ensure they are safe, brave, independent, and objective," he said.

"Second, ensure that the ICC arrest warrant only targets the main perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Arresting three Hamas figures is unacceptable. Everyone knows that Israel is the real perpetrator of genocide against more than 35,000 Gazans, the majority of women and children," he added.

The third step, continued Fadli, is to urge the commitment of 124 ICC member states to comply with the ICC decision. "If the ICC panel of judges has actually issued an arrest warrant, all member states must support the decision, including the freezing of the perpetrators' assets," he added.

Fadli also emphasized the DPR's commitment to various parliamentary forums to support Palestine, including the settlement of genocide that occurred in the Gaza Strip. "I support about 100 British lawmakers who urge the government to support the ICC regarding arrest letters against Israeli officials including Netanyahu. This will be a breath of fresh air for the House of Representatives to continue to voice the Palestinian struggle in many parliamentary forums," he concluded.