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France says it cannot arrest Netanyahu because of ICC immunity

France claimed on Wednesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “immune” from international arrest after an arrest warrant was issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The French Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it was committed to international justice after Hague court judges issued arrest warrants last week for Israel’s Netanyau and his former defense minister Yoav Gallant.

However, the ministry claimed that Netanyahu enjoys immunity as acting head of government because Israel is not a member of the International Criminal Court.

France’s argument has previously been used by states that have refused to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin and Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir. However, the court has always rejected their arguments as unfounded.

Heads of state are not immune from the International Criminal Court, even if they belong to a state that has not signed the Court’s founding Rome Statute. This is according to previous rulings as well as the opinion of leading immunity scientists who spoke to Middle East Eye.

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