Ex-SDLP leader Colum Eastwood says he ‘strongly welcomes’ the news that international arrest warrants had been issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, describing them as “two of the architects of the genocide in Gaza”.
The Foyle MP made the comments following the announcement that the International Criminal Court (ICC) had issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity in relation to attacks on Gaza.
Gaza health officials say 44,056 people have been killed in the conflict since it began, with a further 104,268 injured
Arrest warrants were also issued by the ICC for Hamas officials over the October 7 attacks in Israel in 2023, which killed more than 1,200.
Mr Eastwood said: “I’ve seen the impact that Israeli airstrikes have on Gaza. Communities reduced to rubble, entire families murdered, schools and playgrounds attacked in violation of international law.
“What has happened over the last year has, I believe, redefined what many of us thought was human capacity to inflict suffering.
“I strongly welcome the decision of the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, two of the architects of the genocide in Gaza.”
He added that the court ruled that there were reasonable grounds to believe that the pair used starvation as a weapon of war, had committed the crime against humanity of murder and other violations of international law.
“This genocide has extracted an unimaginable price in human life and suffering,” Mr Eastwood said.
“It has all but levelled every piece of civilian infrastructure in Gaza so that all that’s left is a decaying concrete wasteland. Netanyahu and Gallant must be held accountable for what they’ve done.”
Alliance deputy leader Eóin Tennyson said: “The UK Government must adhere to the International Criminal Court’s ruling and uphold its international legal obligations”.
Taoiseach Simon Harris said that the charges “could not be more serious”.
“The government has long expressed its profound concern about the conduct of the war in Gaza and has stated clearly its belief that the rules of international law and international humanitarian law have not been upheld,” he said.
“We have insisted that international law must apply in all circumstances, at all times, and in all places, and that those responsible for breaches, those who commit war crimes and crimes against humanity, must be held fully to account.
“Ireland respects the role of the International Criminal Court. Anyone in a position to assist it in carrying out its vital work must now do so with urgency.”
His deputy, Tánaiste Micheál Martin, added that Ireland is a “strong supporter of the ICC” having “committed €3m in voluntary contributions” in the past year.
The ICC is a court of last resort that only prosecutes cases when domestic law enforcement authorities cannot or will not investigate.
While arrest warrants have been issued, their practical implications could be limited given that neither Israel nor the US are members of the court and several of the Hamas officials have been killed.
Netanyahu has rejected the arrest warrants issued by ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan as ‘disgraceful’ and ‘antisemitic’ based on what says are ‘false accusations’.
Hamas has also condemned the warrants issued for its officials.