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The International Criminal Court (ICC)'s move to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defence minister Yoav Gallant is a "dark moment" for the court, which acted "without authority" and set a "dangerous precedent", Israel's Ambassador to India Reuven Azar said on Thursday.
In a statement, Mr Azar alleged the world court in The Hague is "serving as a political tool for the most extreme elements working against peace, security and stability in West Asia". The decision to issue the warrants weakens the possibility of reaching a ceasefire deal with those seeking Israel's destruction, he said.
The remarks came hours after ICC issued the warrants of arrest for the two Israeli leaders for "crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024". The court also issued a similar warrant for Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif.
Israel said in early August it had killed Deif in an air strike in southern Gaza in July, but Hamas has not confirmed his death. Israel is currently engaged in a conflict with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The ICC has no power to enforce its warrants but technically, any country that has signed the Rome Statute - a treaty that seeks to prosecute individuals accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes of aggression - would be obliged to arrest Mr Netanyahu, Mr Gallant, or Mr Deif, if they travelled there.
"The ICC acted without authority against the elected leaders of a democracy which is not a member of the court. It's a dangerous precedent," Mr Azar said.
"These are warrants directed not only personally against our leaders. In fact, this is an attack on Israel's right to defend itself. The decision is a moral deficiency that turns good into bad and serves evil. The decision harms the ability of a democracy to fight terrorism," he added.
Mr Azar also said that the world court "completely ignores Israel's actions according to international law to facilitate humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian needy population and its outstanding actions to minimise civilian casualties despite despicable tactics used by the terrorists, including using civilians as human shields."
"As a democracy, Israel has a strong legal system that is capable, able and willing to check the actions of its government. We call all our friends to publicly reject this injustice," he said.
On October 7 last year, Hamas militants conducted a cross-border raid on Israel that killed 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures. Israel has since then been fighting a war in Gaza, which the militant group rules.
Israel, however, has faced growing international criticism over its conduct of the Gaza war, including from its allies, despite global solidarity with the victims of October 7.
The Hamas government's health ministry in the Gaza Strip said on Thursday that at least 44,056 people have been killed in more than 13 months of war.
Hezbollah, the powerful Iran-backed Lebanese militant group, began firing rockets into Israel in October last year in stated support of Hamas.
After nearly a year of limited exchanges of fire on the Israel-Lebanon border, Israel in September this year intensified its air strikes primarily targeting Hezbollah strongholds and later sent ground troops into Lebanon.