EU states must comply with ICC arrest warrant for Israel's Netanyahu: EU foreign policy chief

ATHENS

EU member states should fulfill their obligations under international law by complying with the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu, the EU foreign policy chief said on Tuesday.

Stressing that all EU members are parties to the Rome Convention, which founded the International Criminal Court (ICC), Josep Borrell said: “You cannot pick and choose. You cannot uphold when the court goes against (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and remain silent when the court goes against Netanyahu.”

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in Italy, he said such double standards lead to severe criticism of the EU.

"I ask the member states of the EU to fulfill their obligation on the international law. Like it or not, ICC is a court as powerful as any national court,” he added.

Borrell warned: “If Europe doesn’t support the ICC, there will be no hope for justice."

On Lebanon, he warned the country could fall apart if the current cease-fire proposal by the US and France is not implemented.

The ongoing Israeli attacks led not only to the displacement or death of a large number of Lebanese, but also severely damaged Lebanese state institutions, including the army, Borrell said.

Pushing back on objections to the proposal by extremist Israeli officials, he urged Netanyahu to work to approve and implement the cease-fire deal.

On Gaza, now facing its second year of relentless Israeli attacks, Borrell highlighted how some 250,000 Palestinians (in northern Gaza) have become completely abandoned due to Israel’s strict blockade cutting off all but a trickle of humanitarian aid.

"Before everything else, (the) international community should work to ensure Palestinians in the area have access to humanitarian support,” he said, adding: "Hunger is being used as an arm against people who are completely abandoned."

Besides the hundreds of thousands in northern Gaza in danger, international organizations and aid groups have warned that the entire population of Gaza – over 2 million people – is at risk of famine due to Israel’s continuing relentless attacks and strict blockade.

On Ukraine, which recently passed the 1,000th day of the conflict, Borrell said Europe should continue to support Ukraine regardless of what policy choices US President-elect Donald Trump makes.

The trade tariffs advocated by Trump, who is set to take office in January, would harm the global economy, not only the EU, including the US itself, he warned.