France has declared that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has immunity, as Israel is not a party to the International Criminal Court (ICC) statutes that sought his arrest. Paris has announced it will continue collaborating closely with Netanyahu despite the arrest warrants issued by the ICC. The arrest warrants were issued for Netanyahu, his former defense chief, and a leader of the Hamas Palestinian militant group on Nov. 21.
Initially, France stated it would comply with the ICC statutes but later clarified its position on the matter. The French foreign ministry highlighted that the court’s decision only formalized an accusation and recognized that a country cannot be required to act in a manner conflicting with its obligations regarding the immunities of States not party to the ICC.
The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah came into effect on Wednesday, following the intervention of the U.S. and France to broker an agreement.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and President Emmanuel Macron have engaged in discussions with their counterparts to outline Paris’ position on the matter. The French ministry emphasized the historic friendship between France and Israel, both being democracies committed to the rule of law, and expressed its intention to continue working closely with Netanyahu and other Israeli authorities to achieve peace and security in the Middle East.
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