The Christian Post's top 10 news stories of 2024 (part 1)
7. ICC issues arrest warrant against Netanyahu over Israel’s military operations
American politicians and faith leaders condemned the International Criminal Court after the supernational organization issued an arrest warrant for Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant.
In a November statement, the ICC claimed that the warrant concerned "crimes against humanity and war crimes," which it alleged took place between Oct. 8, 2023, and May 20, 2024.
The warrant alleged that Netanyahu and Gallant engaged in "the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts."
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The timeline in the warrant overlaps with Israel launching a military offensive in Gaza after the terror group Hamas massacred at least 1,200 people and abducted over 200 others during a surprise invasion on Oct. 7, 2023. Israel faced threats from other Iranian proxies following the surprise attack, such as Hezbollah, which increased rocket and artillery attacks from Israel's northern border.
While the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry says that over 45,000 people have died in Gaza since Israel's military offensive began, the number doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants. Israel has also warned that Hamas uses Gazan civilians as human shields and fires rockets from areas where noncombatants are likely to be present.
In response to news of the warrant, American Evangelical leaders like Family Research Council President Tony Perkins suggested that the ICC's decision was antisemitic.
"Antisemitism? This decision by the ICC to go after Israel's leader for defending his country should be a death knell for the court," Perkins wrote in a Nov. 21 X post.
"Pray for Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the ICC has issued arrest warrants. Also, pray that Bible-believing Christians will stand with Israel and their God-given right to exist."
Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers also condemned the ICC's actions at the time, with Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., calling on the Senate to pass sanction legislation if the situation was not reversed.
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who has emerged as an outspoken supporter of Israel, declared in a Nov. 21 X post that the ICC had "no standing, relevance, or path."
Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y, who has also made his support for Israel clear, offered a rebuttal to the ICC warrants in a lengthy X post.
"The ICC's decision to issue arrest warrants against the leadership of Israel represents the weaponization of international law at its most egregious. The ICC has set a precedent for criminalizing self-defense: any country daring to defend itself against an enemy that exploits civilians as human shields will face persecution posing as prosecution."
Following his victory in the 2024 presidential race, President-elect Donald Trump has faced questions about how his administration plans to address the conflicts in the Middle East. The topic came up during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.
While the president-elect declined to answer whether he would support Israel striking Iran, Trump explained that he would work to secure the return of the hostages abducted by Hamas.
Samantha Kamman contributed to this report.
