European Union: Netanyahu's Arrest Letter Is Not Political And Must Be Implemented

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrel.PHOTO Nicolas Kovarik / European Union via Wikimedia Commons

JAKARTA - The European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrel said the International Criminal Court (ICC) decision was not political and had to be implemented.

His comments came after the ICC issued an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The move sparked the anger of the Israeli government.

At a press conference held at the Jordanian Foreign Ministry in Amman on Thursday, November 21, Borrell said the ICC arrest warrant was not a political decision and should be respected and implemented.

Meanwhile, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Al-Safadi echoed Borrell's statement.

"The international community cannot selectively accept the ICC's decision in some cases and reject it in other cases," Al-Safadi said.

He called on the international community to look at the ICC's decision as a message to stop the massacre in Gaza and to ensure aid deliveries to the trapped territory.

The ICC issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes.

The Dutch-based court said it found plausible reasons to believe Netanyahu bears criminal responsibility for war crimes including hunger as a method of war and crimes against humanity in the form of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.

The ICC rejects Israel's challenge to the court's jurisdiction over the matter.