France will Ensure the Inmunity of Israel PM and his Ministers
PM Emanuelle Macron acompained by Benjamin Netanyahu, Photo: Megatron-Tron
November 27, 2024 Hour: 4:03 pm
The French Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that it will ensure the “immunity” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, following the request of the International Criminal Court regarding his arrest and surrender for war crimes and crimes against humanity. He also said that he would continue to work “closely” with the Israeli prime minister and his cabinet.
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In a statement, the spokesman for the French Chancellery stated that «France will respect its international obligations». He stated that they would respect the Rome Statute and cooperate with the ICC, but not act in a way incompatible with their obligations to Israel.
France claimed that by acceding to article 89 of the Rome Statute, Paris will maintain immunity for Israel because the Jewish state is not a party to the ICC and this document stands for preserving the immunity of «certain» officials.
The Foreign Ministry stated that it will act in accordance with the «historical friendship between France and Israel, two democracies which defend the rule of law and respect for professional and independent justice», although it did not make clear why it treats the two officials differently, who are the direct perpetrators of the genocide against the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip.
This statement summarizes that in case any Israeli minister travels to France, the authorities may not arrest them.
The arrest warrant and subsequent declaration of impunity by France, despite the image they wish to give, has not been reconciled. An example of this was Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, who stated in respect of the court order, “France will implement the legal decision taken by the ICC”.
Llama la atención que el anuncio de la Cancillería francesa, todo un aval de impunidad a la camarilla criminal de Netanyahu, llegue días después de que el senador estadounidense Lindsey Graham (republicano) advirtiese que EE.UU. sancionará a los Estados que colaboren con las órdenes de arresto.
Durante una entrevista con medios estadounidenses, Graham declaró: “A cualquier aliado, Canadá, Reino Unido, Alemania, Francia, si intenta ayudar a la CPI, lo vamos a sancionar”. Añadió: “Si va a ayudar a la CPI como nación y hacer cumplir la orden de arresto contra Bibi y Gallant… lo sancionaré”.
Cabe recordar que Graham apoyó la orden de arresto del “rebelde CPI”, cuando estos condenaron al mandatario ruso Vladimir Putin, sin embargo, ahora pone a Occidente a escoger, o colaboran con la Corte Penal Internacional o con Estados Unidos.
Netanyahu y Gallant fueron condenados por la Corte Penal internacional debido a los delitos de crímenes de guerra y crímenes contra la humanidad perpetrados en el marco de la invasión lanzada hace más de un año contra la Franja de Gaza.
