France says it won’t arrest Netanyahu

The Israeli PM may have immunity from the ICC war crimes warrant, the foreign ministry in Paris has said

Arresting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be difficult, as he may have immunity from the International Criminal Court (ICC), French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has claimed.

The Hague-based court issued an arrest warrant for the Israeli leader last week, charging him and former defense minister Yoav Gallant with crimes against humanity over the invasion of Gaza. While a number of European countries have publicly declared that they would honor the warrant, Paris has hedged its bets.

Paris “will apply international law based on its obligations to cooperate with the ICC,” Barrot told Franceinfo radio on Wednesday. The Rome Statute, which established the court, “deals with questions of immunity for certain leaders,” and such matters ultimately rest with the courts, he added.

Earlier in the day, the French Foreign Ministry issued a statement signaling that, while Paris would honor its commitments to the ICC, Israel is not actually a party to the Rome Statute.

“France will respect its international obligations, understanding that the Rome Statute requires full cooperation with the International Criminal Court (ICC),” the ministry said, but “cannot be required to act in a manner inconsistent with its obligations under international law regarding the immunities of states that are not parties to the ICC.”

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The Quai d’Orsay pointed out that such immunity applies to both Netanyahu and Gallant, and needs to be taken into account.

“In accordance with the historic friendship between France and Israel, two democracies committed to the rule of law and the respect of professional and independent justice, France intends to continue working closely with Prime Minister Netanyahu and other Israeli authorities to achieve peace and security for all in the Middle East,” the ministry added.

While Israel is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, the ICC claims to have jurisdiction over the West Bank and Gaza, which are considered occupied Palestinian territories under international law.

Article 27 of the Rome Statute notes that diplomatic immunity “shall not bar the Court from exercising its jurisdiction over such a person.” However, Article 98 says that a state can’t “act inconsistently with its obligations under international law with respect to the... diplomatic immunity of a person.”

The US, which is also not a party to the ICC, has denounced the warrant for Netanyahu’s arrest. Hungary, which is a Rome Statute signatory, said it would not enforce the warrant. So far, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Belgium, the UK, and Norway have announced that they would comply.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has reportedly proposed to the G7 to push for the suspension of proceedings against Netanyahu until the end of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, so as not to politicize the ICC.