Rome:

Italian Defense Minister Guido Croceto said on Thursday that his country would be bound to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he were to visit him after a warrant was issued by the International Criminal Court.

The ICC previously issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu’s former defense minister Yoo Gallant as well as Hamas military chief Mohammad Def.

Croceto — whose country holds the G7 rotating presidency this year — told RAI television’s Porta a Porta program that he believed the ICC was “wrong” to place Netanyahu and Gallant at the level of Hamas.

But he said that if Netanyahu or Gallant “come to Italy, we will have to arrest them”.

Crocetto said it was not a political choice but that Italy, as an ICC member, was obliged to comply with the court’s warrant.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani had previously been more cautious, saying: “We support the ICC, while always remembering that the court should play a legal role and not a political one.”

“We will work with our allies to assess what to do and how to interpret this decision.”

(Other than the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

(Tags translation) ICC Arrest Warrant



Source link