On Thursday, Spain's Foreign Minister José Manuel Álvarez announced that the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the Israeli prime minister last week would be complied with whenever he appears on Spanish soil.
– Spain will fulfill all its obligations under the Rome Statute (ed. ICC Establishment Convention) – Mr. Álvarez said immediately after his speech in Congress regarding the Middle East conflict.
Additionally, Spain's foreign affairs chief said that the country intends to allocate an additional 1.6 million euros for the functioning of the ICC. Spain is currently one of the ten largest contributors to the court.
Spain prepares to arrest Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu
Relations between Spain and Israel have been strained since October 2023, when Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups attacked southern Israel and Israel launched attacks in the Gaza Strip in retaliation.
See: Ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. “It's a historic mistake.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez himself has repeatedly called on the European Union to suspend its association agreement with the country, and in late May Madrid officially recognized a Palestinian state.
In mid-September, the Palestinian ambassador presented his credentials to King Felipe VI, and the first Spanish-Palestinian intergovernmental conference was held in October.
The French protect themselves with immunity. In the background is the sensational reporting of Le Monde.
However, there is no agreement within the EU regarding the position of Israel's prime minister, and France, another member state, has cited Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's alleged impunity. Prior to this, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán invited Prime Minister Netanyahu to Hungary.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in an official statement that this refers to obligations arising from international law, in particular with respect to countries that are not party to the aforementioned Rome Statute.
“These exemptions apply to Prime Minister Netanyahu and other ministers,” the Foreign Ministry said, citing Article 98 of the Rome Statute.
See also: Prime Minister Orban invites Prime Minister Netanyahu to Hungary. “ICC orders will not be respected”
However, the whole issue is primarily about behind-the-scenes negotiations between France and Israel rather than compliance with specific regulations. The daily newspaper Le Monde, citing French government officials, reported that Netanyahu had threatened not to support a ceasefire in Lebanon unless France rejected the ICC arrest warrant.
The newspaper also noted that the Paris decision could weaken the credibility of arrest warrants issued by the ICC in 2023 for Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials.
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) criticized France's position, saying “France is lying'' and “the arrest warrant is non-negotiable.''
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