G7 to ‘comply with respective obligations’ over Netanyahu ICC warrant

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant attend a press conference in the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv on October 28, 2023 amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. FILE PHOTO/Agence France-Presse

FIUGGI, Italy — 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 industrialized 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.

READ: World leaders divided over ICC arrest warrant on Netanyahu

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 defense 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”.

READ: Netanyahu says ICC warrant won’t stop Israel defending itself

“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”.

‘Legal doubts’

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.

“We found a common position that was what we had asked for,” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told a press conference after the talks.

He said there were “many legal doubts” regarding the warrant, saying “we need to understand the rules”.

“Can a head of state be arrested? Who is going to arrest him?” he asked.

“Netanyahu will never go to a country where he could be arrested,” he added.

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.