PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares released a statement condemning recent arrest warrants issued on Nov. 21 by an international court against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The warrants were issued by the International Criminal Court, or ICC, for alleged “crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024,” according to their statement.
How the ICC plans to enforce or enact these warrants remains murky, as Israel has contested that the agency has any jurisdiction over them.
The State of Israel issued two requests on Sept. 26, 2024. The first one challenging the ICC’s jurisdiction, while the second submission requested that the ICC provide a new notification of the initiation of an investigation to its authorities. Both were denied.
The ICC decided that it wasn’t necessary for Israel to accept their jurisdiction because the ICC stated they could act on “the basis of territorial jurisdiction of Palestine.” A comment that was sure to spike concerns among Israeli leadership.
The timing of the requests were also determined to be an issue. The court determined that states couldn’t challenge their jurisdiction until after arrest warrants were issued.
Now that official warrants have been put out, Israel could technically re-challenge the jurisdiction.
However, the ICC’s claim that they have the ability to act in defense of a non-globally recognized state and issue warrants in a state that rejects their jurisdiction has left at least one Virginia lawmaker concerned.
Miyares put out a statement attacking the ICC’s decision.
“This latest move by the ICC is an affront to justice and to Israel’s sovereignty. It is politically motivated, anti-Semitic, and a dangerous attempt to undermine a nation that is under direct attack by terrorist organizations,” said Miyares.
Although, Palestine has not been formally recognized as a state by the U.S., most of the member states in the United Nations have recognized Palestine as the region extending to Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
The second request was denied under the premise that Israel was notified of the initial investigation back in 2021 and never requested a deferral. Since this was a continuation of the first investigation, the court ruled they didn’t need to notify the state again.
“Americans stand firmly behind Israel’s right to exist and defend itself. Netanyahu and Gallant are doing what any responsible leader would do: Protecting their people from terrorists who want nothing more than to eradicate them. Neutrality in the face of evil is despicable; deliberately choosing terrorism over civilization is absolute barbarism,” Miyares said.