The Jewish Maariv daily based on senior sources says Benjamin Netanyahu is deeply worried the ICC is on the verge of issuing a warrant for his arrest and other senior politicians in his government.
The newspaper stated Netanyahu is “unnaturally afraid and worried” about the upcoming arrest warrant accusing him of genocide in Gaza.
And as a result he has been meeting ministers in emergency session and legal experts to discuss the possibility of issuing the warrants and the implications of such a move for him as well as other ministers and generals and for Israel.
The Israeli prime minister has been courting world leaders to see whether the ruling of the International Criminal Court could be stopped and talked to the UK and German foreign ministers David Cameron and Annalena Baerbock on their recent visits to Israel. The ruling could take effect as early as this month of May.
The waiting continues. if the ruling is approved he would be banned from 123 countries and hinder him from international movement. But this needs the approval of the United States at the UN Security Council.
Observers suggest Washington may vote for the issuance of the warrant in an attempt either to end the political career of Netanyahu and stop Israel’s war on Gaza. Sources suggest that also that warrants are going to be issued for the arrests of the Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
News reports suggests Halevi may soon be quitting on another related matter to do with the resignation of the Director of Military Intelligence Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva for the failure to forecast the debacle of 7 October in which Hamas operatives penetrated the Gaza fence and 1200 Israelis were killed.
The ICC has already accused Israel of ‘plausible genocide’ on Gaza in a merciless war that lasted seven months and is about to start its eight with no end in sight. Meanwhile Israeli has killed over 34,000 people, injured over 77,000 people and displaced 1.9 people put of a population of 2.3 million.
Dr Marwan Asmar is an Amman-based writer covering Middle East affairs.
