Borelj: Governments of EU member states cannot choose whether to execute arrest warrants issued by the ICC

The governments of the member states of the European Union (EU) cannot choose whether to execute arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, said the EU's high representative for foreign policy, Josep Borelj.

The ICC on Thursday issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Galant and Hamas leader Ibrahim al-Masri for war crimes in the Gaza Strip and during the October 2023 attack that sparked Israel's offensive into Palestinian territory.

"States that have signed the Rome Convention are obliged to implement the court's decision. It is not optional," Borelj told Reuters during a visit to Cyprus, where he visited workshops of Israeli and Palestinian peace activists.

Borelj, as reported by Tanjug, added that countries that are on the path to joining the EU have the same obligations.

All EU member states are signatories to the founding of the ICC, known as the Rome Statute, but several states have said they will fulfill their obligations under the statute if necessary, while Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has invited Netanyahu to visit the country.

"It would be very funny if those who are on the path to joining have an obligation that the current members do not fulfill," said Borelj.

Commenting on the fact that the United States rejected the ICC decision and Israel's announcement that the issuing of warrants was an anti-Semitic move, Borelj said that "every time someone disagrees with the policy of the Israeli government - he is accused of anti-Semitism."

"I have the right to criticize the decisions of the Israeli government, whether it's Mr. Netanyahu or someone else, and I'm not accused of anti-Semitism. That's not acceptable. That's enough," said Borelj, whose mandate as EU foreign policy chief expires this month.

The Prime Minister of Hungary, which is a member of the EU, Viktor Orbán invited his Israeli colleague Benjamin Netanyahu to visit his country, Netanyahu's office confirmed today, Reuters reported earlier today.

Orban said yesterday that he would invite Netanyahu to visit Hungary, saying he would guarantee that the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for Netanyahu's arrest "will not be respected."

In Israel's 13-month military campaign in Gaza, more than 44 thousand Palestinians were killed, according to Palestinian officials, while almost the entire population of the enclave was displaced.

Israel launched the offensive after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7 last year, when, according to Israeli sources, 1,2 people were killed, while more than 250 people were taken hostage.

In their decision, the ICC judges stated that there were reasonable grounds to believe that Netanyahu and Galant were responsible for acts that included murder, persecution and incitement to starvation.

Masri, who Israel claims was killed, is wanted on charges of mass killings during an October 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel.