Paris:

Provisions for immunity from prosecution at the International Criminal Court apply to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the French foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

It said the Israeli leader was covered by immunity rules that apply to states which are not a party to the ICC. Israel is not an ICC member.

“A state cannot be held to act in a way that is incompatible with its obligations in terms of international law with regards to immunities granted to states which are not party to the ICC,” the French statement said.

“Such immunities apply to Prime Minister Netanyahu and other ministers in question, and must be taken into consideration should the ICC ask us to arrest them and hand them over,” it said.

Earlier Wednesday, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot had already said that France considered that some leaders could enjoy immunity from ICC prosecution.

Asked if France would arrest Netanyahu if he stepped on French territory, Jean-Noel Barrot did not give a specific answer in an interview with Franceinfo radio.

He said France “is very committed to international justice and will apply international law based on its obligations to cooperate with the ICC.”

But he added that the court’s statute “deals with questions of immunity for certain leaders”.

“It is ultimately up to the judicial authorities to decide,” he added.

The ICC this month issued warrants for Netanyahu, former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif. Netanyahu has slammed the move.

The EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has said the arrest warrants are “binding” and should be implemented.

However unlike some European states, France has so far taken a more cautious stance on the warrants.

Barrot’s comments marked the first time a top French official has evoked a possible immunity.

– ‘Deeply problematic’ –
Unconfirmed media reports have said that Netanyahu angrily raised the issue in telephone talks with President Emmanuel Macron and urged Paris not to enforce the decision.

France has been instrumental in efforts to end fighting in the Middle East and, with the United States, helped broker a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that came into force Wednesday.

Article 27 of the Rome Statute — the foundation of the ICC — states that immunity “shall not bar the Court from exercising its jurisdiction over such a person.”

But article 98 says a state cannot “act inconsistently with its obligations under international law with respect to the… diplomatic immunity of a person.”

France’s stance on potential immunity for Netanyahu prompted some strong reactions Wednesday, both at home and abroad.

Amnesty International called the French stance “deeply problematic”, saying it ran counter to the government’s obligations as an ICC member.

“Rather than inferring that ICC indictees may enjoy immunity, France should expressly confirm its acceptance of the unequivocal legal duty under the Rome Statute to carry out arrest warrants,” said Anne Savinel Barras, president of Amnesty International France.

French Green party boss Marine Tondelier, calling the government’s stance “shameful”, said it was probably the result of an agreement between the French and Israeli leaders.

“Surely that was the deal, that France would get a mention in the official statement announcing the ceasefire in Lebanon that was published by France and the United States yesterday,” she said on X.

“Again, France is bending over backwards to meet Benjamin Netanyahu’s demand to pick him over international justice,” she said.

Barrot meanwhile hailed the ceasefire as a major success for France and expressed hope it would result in the “reform” of Lebanon after years of crisis.

The ceasefire provides “that the Israeli army withdraws from southern Lebanon… and that it is replaced by a massive deployment of the Lebanese armed forces”.

“In this context, France will play its full part,” Barrot said.
 

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Fiuggi:

G7 foreign ministers said Tuesday they “will comply with our respective obligations” regarding the arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The Group of Seven industrialised nations brings together Britain, Canada, Germany, France, Japan, host Italy and the United States.

“We reiterate our commitment to International Humanitarian Law and will comply with our respective obligations,” the ministers said in a joint statement issued following two days of talks near Rome.

The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu last week, prompting outrage from Israel and its allies — including the US, which is not a member of the ICC and has rejected its jurisdiction.

All of the other G7 countries are members of the ICC — meaning they would have to arrest Netanyahu if he travelled there.

The ICC also issued warrants for Netanyahu’s former defence minister and for Hamas’s military chief Mohammed Deif, whom Israel claimed was killed in an air strike in Gaza in July. Hamas has not confirmed his death.

The G7 statement said the foreign ministers “underline that there can be no equivalence between the terrorist group Hamas and the State of Israel”.

“In exercising its right to defend itself, Israel must fully comply with its obligations under international law in all circumstances, including International Humanitarian Law,” the statement said.

The Hague-based ICC says the warrants for Netanyahu and his former minister were “for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024”.

Italy had asked for a discussion on the ICC warrants at the G7, after apparent splits within Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government over what it meant for Netanyahu.

A diplomatic source said the discussion in Fiuggi was “much broader and more strategic” than what ended up in the final statement, without revealing details.

War has raged in Gaza since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which resulted in 1,207 deaths, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 44,249 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Rome:

G7 ministers meeting in Italy next week will discuss the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Friday, saying the issue required further analysis.

Israel and its allies denounced the ICC’s decision on Thursday to issue an arrest warrant for the Israeli premier, even as Turkey — and rights groups — welcomed the move.

Meloni’s hard-right coalition government appeared divided.

Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said Thursday that Italy would have to arrest Israel’s premier if he visited, only for Meloni’s deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini, to say Netanyahu would be welcome in Italy.

“In the coming days I will delve deeper into the reasons that led to the ICC’s decision. Reasons that should always be objective and not political in nature,” Meloni said in a statement.

She said the issue would be put on the agenda of a meeting of Group of Seven foreign ministers in Fiuggi, near Rome, on Monday and Tuesday.

The ICC also issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu’s former defence minister and for Hamas’s military chief Mohammed Deif.

“One point remains clear from this government — there cannot be an equivalence between the responsibility of the state of Israel and the terrorist organisation Hamas,” Meloni said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)