The EFF has welcomed the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision to issue arrest warrants for Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
The party hailed this as a critical move towards accountability for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during their leadership.
The ICC’s warrants are based on findings that Netanyahu and Gallant bear responsibility for crimes committed between October 2023 and May 2024.
War crimes
These include the use of starvation as a method of warfare. Also well as acts of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts targeting the civilian population in Gaza.
Leigh-Ann Mathys, EFF national spokesperson, said the party has long condemned Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. She labelled it as a systematic oppression.
Civilians, including children, have reportedly died from malnutrition and dehydration. They have died from preventable illnesses caused by the calculated withholding of humanitarian aid, she said.
Genocide of Palestinian civilians
“The ICC’s findings confirm what the world has known for decades. That Israel under leaders like Netanyahu and Gallant, has engaged in deliberate, widespread, and systematic genocide of Palestanian civilians.
“The targeting of civilians, obstruction of humanitarian aid, and imposition of conditions designed to destroy a population. All these… amount to crimes that cannot go unpunished,” said Mathys.
She said the issuance of these warrants reinforces the principle that no leader is above the law. Mathys added that it is also seen as a victory for the Palestinian struggle for freedom and justice.
“We call upon the intentional community to unequivocally support the ICC’s efforts. And to ensure the enforcement of these arrest warrants. Justice must not be delayed any longer.
Israel is not member of the ICC, rejects court’s jurisdiction
“The actions of Netanyahu and Gallant are not isolated incidents. But they are …part of a broader system of Israeli apartheid. And a colonial violence that demands global condemnation and tangible action,” said Mathys.
According to SkyNews, Israel is not a member of the ICC. And it has rejected the jurisdiction of the court. They have also denied committing wars in Gaza.
