Why Is the ICC Pursuing Arrest Warrants Against Netanyahu and Hamas?

On Monday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced it’s seeking arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders, sparking mixed opinions from commentators and officials.

Why Stop There?: An analysis from Madeleine Hubbard at Just The News (Lean Right bias) noted Trump State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus’ accusation that the ICC goes after “democratic nations that uphold the Rule of Law,” but turns a blind eye to the crimes of leaders like China’s President Xi, Iran’s Ayatollah Khameini, and Venezuela's President Maduro. Hubbard noted that not all countries are fully bound to the ICC legally, but that the warrant recently issued to Russian President Vladimir Putin hasn’t hampered Russia’s efforts in Ukraine.

External Expert Panel: An external expert group that assisted the ICC in determining if there was sufficient evidence that Israel and Hamas committed crimes against humanity defended the ICC’s decision in an opinion for The Financial Times (Center bias). In its opinion, the group said it believes “the prosecutor’s work was rigorous, fair and grounded in the law and the facts,” and that now “the judges of the ICC will ultimately determine which warrants, if any, should be issued.”

Europe Divided: Several mainstream outlets have reported that European leaders are divided on the developments. EU heavyweight France said it supports the ICC’s action, while its peer Germany hailed the ICC’s existence, but said applications for “Hamas leaders on the one hand and the two Israeli officials on the other gave the false impression of an equation.”