Former ICC Head Slams Poland’s Decision to Shield Netanyahu from Arrest Warrant

Polish President Andrzej Duda met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Design: Palestine Chronicle, via President.Pl)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

“The Polish government’s determination is simply a purely governmental decision, the authorities is intelligibly ignoring its ineligible obligations.”

The erstwhile Polish president of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has slammed Warsaw’s determination to support Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu from the court’s apprehension warrant should helium determine to be a commemoration of the liberation of the Auschwitz attraction campy aboriginal this month.

“I don’t cognize overmuch astir politics, but from a ineligible constituent of view, the substance is crystal clear. There’s an apprehension warrant for the premier curate of Israel connected suspicion of committing warfare crimes, and states are obliged to execute it, Piotr Hofmanski, told the Polish quality outlet Onet, arsenic cited by the Anadolu quality agency.

“The Polish government’s determination is simply a purely governmental decision, the authorities is intelligibly ignoring its ineligible obligations,” helium added.

‘Legal Obligation’

The ICC issued apprehension warrants successful November for Netanyahu and his erstwhile Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for warfare crimes and crimes against humanity successful the besieged Gaza Strip. The bid compels the ICC’s 124 subordinate states to apprehension them should they participate their territory.

“There is simply a ineligible and planetary work to afloat cooperate with the ICC, and a authorities that does not fulfill this work puts itself successful a precise uncomfortable situation, and its planetary presumption becomes drastically limited,” Hofmanski argued.

Poland says it volition let Israeli officials, including PM Benjamin Netanyahu contempt his ICC apprehension warrant, to be the 80th day of Auschwitz's liberation.

States that person signed the Rome Statute – Poland among them – are legally obliged to execute ICC arrest… pic.twitter.com/SJEyRHNBLm

— TRT World (@trtworld) January 10, 2025

“These calls into question the precise intent of the ICC’s beingness if states garbage to comply with its obligations,” helium stressed.

‘Safe Participation’

Polish President Andrzej Duda asked the authorities this week to guarantee that Netanyahu tin instrumentality portion successful the 80th day of the liberation of the Auschwitz attraction campy without fearfulness of apprehension implicit warfare crimes successful Gaza, reported Anadolu.

On Thursday, the Polish Cabinet adopted a solution ensuring Israeli officials’ harmless information successful the ceremonial to beryllium held astatine the notorious Nazi attraction camp.

International Law is officially dead, by the West's ain hand: The Polish PM declared helium volition guarantee the International Criminal Court's apprehension warrant for Netanyahu's apprehension volition beryllium ignored erstwhile helium visits Poland. Meanwhile US Congress imposed sanctions connected ICC officials.

— Yanis Varoufakis (@yanisvaroufakis) January 10, 2025

“The Polish authorities treats the harmless information of the leaders of Israel successful the commemorations connected January 27, 2025, arsenic portion of paying tribute to the Jewish nation, millions of whose daughters and sons became victims of the Holocaust carried retired by the Third Reich,” work a solution issued by the bureau of the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk connected Thursday.

‘Selective Application’ of Law

UN Special Rapporteur Margaret Satterthwaite said connected Friday that “ICC members are obliged to apprehension persons taxable to an ICC warrant.”

“Poland, which condemned Mongolia for not arresting Pr. Putin, should apprehension PM Netanyahu, if helium visits. Selective exertion of the instrumentality erodes the universality of planetary justness and multilateralism,” Satterthwaite emphasized.

"ICC members are obliged to apprehension persons taxable to an #ICC warrant. Poland, which condemned Mongolia for not arresting Pr. Putin, should apprehension PM Netanyahu, if helium visits. Selective exertion of the instrumentality erodes the universality of planetary justness and multilateralism."… https://t.co/KcT7mWVPWv

— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) January 10, 2025

Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur connected the occupied Palestinian territories, shared her station connected X.

Polish Protesters Slam Decision

In Warsaw connected Friday evening, hundreds of protesters demonstrated against the government’s determination to disregard the ICC apprehension warrant against Netanyahu.

Waving Palestinian flags and chanting slogans specified arsenic ‘Free Palestine’ and ‘Arrest Netanyahu’, the protesters gathered successful beforehand of the statesmanlike palace earlier marching to the justness ministry and the premier minister’s office, the autarkic Notes from Poland quality website reported.

Protest przeciw polskiej ochronie dla Netanjahu idzie sprzed Kancelarii Prezydenta pod Ministerstwo Sprawiedliwości one Kancelarię Premiera. Jest kilkaset osób, skandują "aresztować Netanjahu". @OnetWiadomosci pic.twitter.com/UEpZyvQHVn

— Marcin Terlik (@MarcinTerlik) January 10, 2025

“As Poles, we are obliged to condemn warfare crimes. They indispensable beryllium punished careless of the circumstances,” 1 subordinate reportedly told the quality website Wirtualna Polska, cited by Notes from Poland.

“The day of the liberation of Auschwitz reminds america that determination tin beryllium nary consent to genocide,” the protester added.

Ongoing Genocide

The ongoing Israeli battle connected the Gaza Strip, which began connected October 7, 2023, has led to a humanitarian situation of unprecedented scale. As the decease toll among besieged and starved Palestinian civilians continues to emergence daily, Israel is presently facing charges of genocide against Palestinians earlier the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

📊 The decease toll successful Gaza whitethorn beryllium 64,260—41% higher than authoritative figures, says a Lancet study.

Nearly 3% of Gaza’s colonisation has died, astir of them women, children, & elderly. This excludes deaths from healthcare illness oregon starvation.#GazaGenocide #HumanRights… pic.twitter.com/fcu8J3DMLa

— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) January 10, 2025

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, astatine slightest 46,006 Palestinians person been killed, and 109,378 wounded successful Israel’s ongoing genocide successful Gaza starting connected October 7, 2023. The toll is expected to emergence further, with astatine slightest 11,000 radical inactive unaccounted for, presumed dormant nether the rubble of their homes crossed Gaza.

The war, which Palestinians telephone “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood,” began aft a subject cognition carried retired by Hamas connected Israeli territory. Israel reports that 1,139 of its soldiers and civilians were killed during the archetypal onslaught connected October 7. However, Israeli media person raised concerns that a important fig of Israeli casualties were caused by ‘friendly fire’ during the assault.

Millions Displaced

Human rights organizations, some Palestinian and international, person reported that the overwhelming bulk of the casualties successful Gaza are women and children. The ongoing unit has besides exacerbated an acute famine, with thousands of children among the dead, highlighting the severity of the humanitarian disaster.

The warfare has displaced astir 2 cardinal radical from their homes crossed Gaza, with the bulk of the displaced forced into the already overcrowded confederate portion of the Strip. The colonisation successful Gaza remains trapped successful the ongoing conflict, with small entree to basal necessities specified arsenic food, water, and aesculapian care.

(PC, Anadolu)