Middle East Eye: ICC could seek arrest warrant for Israel's Bezalel Smotrich
Summary
The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor has secretly applied for an arrest warrant for Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, accusing him of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including apartheid against Palestinians. This could be the first ICC arrest warrant for apartheid and follows UN criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank.Key Facts
- The ICC prosecutor filed a secret arrest warrant request for Bezalel Smotrich last month.
- Smotrich faces charges of war crimes, forced displacement, persecution, and apartheid.
- If approved, this would be the ICC’s first arrest warrant for apartheid.
- There may be upcoming arrest warrant requests for Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
- Smotrich would be the third Israeli politician targeted by the ICC after Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
- The UN report accused Israel of unlawful killings of over 70,000 people in Gaza since October 2023.
- The UN warned that Israel’s repeated acts might amount to ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.
- The ICC actions relate to Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.
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