Death sentence for Netanyahu ‘not impossible’ – Iran

States that support Palestine should consider capital punishment for Israeli leadership, a top diplomat in Tehran said

Pro-Palestinian countries could bond together and issue a death sentence for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials for the war crimes in Gaza, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi has said. 

Last month, the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants to Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, citing “reasonable grounds to believe” that they were committing war crimes and “other inhumane acts” during Israel’s operation against Hamas in Gaza. Israel has dismissed the court’s jurisdiction and denied committing war crimes. 

In an interview published by the state-run news website ISNA, Gharibabadi argued that the ICC and the International Court of Justice – a separate judicial body that is currently examining a genocide case against Israel – lack a good track record of prosecuting Israelis. “Such a court probably will not issue death sentences because it is affiliated with the UN,” he said, adding that there could be an alternative “formula” for obtaining capital punishment for Israeli officials. “Issuing a death sentence for Netanyahu is not impossible,” he said. 

“Multiple countries have abolished the death penalty, but there are more than 55 countries that still have this form of punishment in their laws,” the diplomat noted. “Therefore, two or three like-minded countries that support the Palestinian people and oppose [Israeli] crimes can come together and form a joint court and issue a death sentence for these officials.”

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“We should try to see if it is possible,” Gharibabadi said.

Last month, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei claimed that Netanyahu and Gallant deserved to be sentenced to death. 

The relations between the Islamic Republic and the Jewish state reached a dangerous escalation this year, with the arch-rivals trading strikes in April and October. Israel has accused Tehran of orchestrating the attacks by Hamas on October 7, 2023, which triggered the current war in Gaza. Iran claimed that the Palestinian militants were acting independently and vowed to support the “Palestinian resistance.”

Nearly 45,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the start of Israel’s military operation in the densely populated enclave, according to local Hamas-run authorities. The UN has repeatedly warned about a humanitarian disaster unfolding in Gaza  and urged Israel not to impede the delivery of aid.