21-5-2024 (JERUSALEM) A firestorm of outrage has engulfed Israel following the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor’s decision to seek arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. The move, perceived as an egregious attack on the nation’s sovereignty, has ignited a unifying backlash across the political spectrum.
In a defiant address, Netanyahu vehemently rejected the ICC’s comparison of Israel’s defensive actions against Hamas militants to the atrocities committed by the latter. “With what audacity do you equate Hamas, known for their brutal murders, burnings, beheadings, rapes, and kidnappings, with the Israeli Defence Forces fighting a just war?” he thundered. “This is a complete distortion of reality.”
Denouncing the prosecutor’s bid as a “new kind of anti-Semitism,” Netanyahu vowed that no international pressure would deter Israel from defending itself. “As Prime Minister, I pledge that no decision in any forum will prevent us from striking those who seek to destroy us,” he declared resolutely.
Israeli leaders have closed ranks in their condemnation of the ICC’s move, lambasting it as a grievous injustice. Foreign Minister Israel Katz branded the arrest warrant bid a “historical disgrace” and a “scandalous decision” that amounted to “a frontal attack on the victims of October 7th.”
Katz announced the establishment of a special committee to combat the ICC’s efforts and vowed to embark on a diplomatic offensive against the bid. President Isaac Herzog went further, warning that the application demonstrated the “international judicial system is in danger of collapsing.”
Drawing parallels with the wave of anti-Israel protests on Western university campuses, Netanyahu asserted, “This is exactly what the new anti-Semitism looks like – it has shifted from campuses to the court in The Hague.”
On the streets of Israel, the outrage is palpable. “Obviously, it’s absurd,” exclaimed Benjamin, a 28-year-old architect who preferred not to disclose his surname. “With so many crimes occurring around the world, it’s truly outrageous that they’re coming after us.”
Despite the mounting tensions, Netanyahu remains undeterred, vowing to persist with the campaign in Gaza. “I pledge that no pressure and no decision in any international forum will prevent us from striking those who seek to destroy us,” he asserted. “We will overthrow the evil rule of Hamas and achieve complete victory.”
