A far-right Israeli finance minister said the ICC prosecutor sought a confidential arrest warrant against him and promised retaliation against the Palestinian Authority. He claimed he ordered the evacuation of the Palestinian Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar in the Israeli-occupied West Bank to harm the authority, which has limited self-rule under agreements with Israel. He linked the threat of retaliation to anger within the Israeli government over Palestinian support for international legal action related to the Gaza conflict. A senior Palestinian official warned the evacuation was dangerous and called for international action to stop further crimes. The ICC prosecutor’s office declined to comment due to confidentiality, and the court previously stated the prosecutor is independent and impartial. The minister said Israel does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction.
"Israel's far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, has said the international criminal court (ICC) prosecutor has sought a confidential arrest warrant against him, and promised to retaliate by waging a war on the Palestinian Authority. He said he had ordered the evacuation of the Palestinian Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar in the Israeli-occupied West Bank as part of measures against the authority, which exercises limited self-rule in parts of the West Bank under agreements with Israel."
"The Palestinian Authority has started a war, and it will get a war, Smotrich told a press conference, reflecting Israeli government anger at what it sees as Palestinian backing for international legal action over the conflict in Gaza. Smotrich said he had ordered the evacuation of Khan al-Ahmar, using his authority as finance minister and as a minister in the defence ministry, to harm the authority."
"A senior Palestinian official, Wasel Abu Youssef, said the forced evacuation of Khan al-Ahmar was very dangerous and called for a firm international response to stop what he called further crimes. The office of the prosecutor at the ICC declined to comment, citing confidentiality of the process. The ICC has previously said its prosecutor is independent and impartial when selecting situations to investigate."
"Smotrich did not specify who had informed him of the warrant on Monday evening, and the process of seeking warrants is confidential. He also did not reveal the ICC's reasons. Describing the court as antisemitic, Smotrich said he had been told the ICC prosecutor submitted a secret request for an international arrest warrant against me. As a sovereign and independent state, we will not accept hypocritical dictates from biased bodies that consistently stand against the state of Israel, against our biblical, historical, and legal rights in our homeland, and against our right and duty to self-defence and security. Israel is not a member of the court and does not recognise its jurisdict"
#international-criminal-court #israel-palestinian-conflict #palestinian-authority #west-bank-evacuations #arrest-warrants
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