Italy, the Netherlands and Canada on Thursday said they would comply with the International Criminal Court's (ICC) arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The Hague-based court announced the warrants earlier in the day, accusing Netanyahu and Gallant of war crimes and crimes against humanity over the war in Gaza. It also issued a warrant for the Palestinian resistance group's military chief Mohammed Deif.
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said his country would be obliged to arrest Netanyahu if he visited.
Crosetto – whose country holds the G-7 rotating presidency this year – told RAI television's Porta a Porta program that he believed the ICC was "wrong" to put Netanyahu and Gallant on the same level as Hamas.
But he said that if Netanyahu or Gallant "were to come to Italy, we would have to arrest them."
It was not a political choice but Italy was bound as a member of the ICC to act on the court's warrants, Crosetto said.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani had earlier been more cautious, saying: "We support the ICC, while always remembering that the court must play a legal role and not a political role.
"We will evaluate together with our allies what to do and how to interpret this decision."
The warrant marked the first time that a sitting leader of a major Western country has been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity by a global court of justice.
The ICC panel said there were reasonable grounds to believe that both Netanyahu and his ex-defense minister bear responsibility for the war crime of starvation and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts.
Israel's war has caused unprecedented destruction across Gaza, decimated parts of the territory and driven almost the entire population of 2.3 million people from their homes, leaving most dependent on aid to survive.
More than 13 months into the war, Israel has killed over 44,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to local health authorities.
The conflict started after Hamas' cross-border attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people.
Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp, whose country hosts the International Criminal Court, has confirmed the Netherlands would arrest Netanyahu if he arrived on Dutch soil.
"The line from the government is clear. We are obliged to cooperate with the ICC... we abide 100% by the Rome Statute," Veldkamp said in response to a question in parliament Thursday.
Josep Borrell, the European Union's foreign policy chief, underlined that the arrest warrants are a legal and not political matter, and that they are binding on all 27 EU member countries and other signatories to the ICC to implement.
"The tragedy in Gaza has to stop," Borrell told reporters during a visit to Jordan on Thursday. "It is not a political decision. It is the decision of an international court of justice, and the decision of the court has to be respected, and implemented."
"This decision is a binding decision on all state parties of the court, which include all members of the European Union," he added.
Separately, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau affirmed his country's support and compliance with the ICC warrants.
"First of all, as Canada has always said, it's really important that everyone abide by international law. This is something we've been calling on from the beginning of the conflict," Trudeau told reporters in the Toronto area.
Canada is one of the founding members of the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice.
Asked whether Netanyahu and Gallant would be arrested if they stepped foot in Canada, Trudeau said, "We stand up for international law, and we will abide by all the regulations and rulings of the international courts."
He noted the need to find a solution to the genocide in the Gaza Strip. "We need to see aid flowing into people who are facing famine and disease," he said.
Urging that all hostages should be released, Trudeau stressed the importance of a cease-fire and to "get back on track towards a two-state solution, with a peaceful Israel living alongside a peaceful Palestinian state."
The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) described Trudeau's remarks as "a serious and major step forward on the road to justice for Gaza and Palestine."
"Today, the Prime Minister did that in accepting that Canada would recognize the arrest warrants. This means, in theory, that Netanyahu and Gallant could be arrested if they stepped foot in Canada," it said.
Emphasizing that it is "an important moment," the Muslim group stated that "Canada has chosen to do the right thing."
It is an important step forward and we must continue to uphold international law and our commitment to human rights," it added.
