ICC Arrest Warrants of Israeli Leaders Would Endanger Jews Everywhere

May 20, 2024

The Simon Wiesenthal Center expressed deep concern over the International Criminal Court’s threat to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for attacking the terrorist group, Hamas after its mass murder of Jews last October 7th. 

The SWC applauds President Biden and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken for their strong condemnations of the International Criminal Court’s request for arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant.

In a statement from the White House, President Biden said:

“The ICC prosecutor’s application for arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is outrageous. And let me be clear: whatever this prosecutor might imply, there is no equivalence — none — between Israel and Hamas.”

Secretary Blinken declared:

“We reject the prosecutor’s equivalence of Israel with Hamas. It is shameful. Hamas is a brutal terrorist organization that carried out the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust and is still holding dozens of innocent people hostage, including Americans.”

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean and Director of Global Social Action Agenda for SWC, said, “Make no mistake. An arrest warrant against the leaders of the Jewish State demonizes Israel. It will unleash a new wave of anti-Semitism worldwide. SWC implores other world leaders to join President Biden’s condemnation and denounce this insidious equation between Hamas and Israel; one, a vicious terrorist organization; the other, a democracy defending its citizens against continuing genocidal threats under almost impossible circumstances.” 

For further information, please email Michele Alkin, Director of Global Communications at malkin@wiesenthal.com or Erik Simon at esimon@wiesenthal.com, join the Center on Facebook, or follow @simonwiesenthal for news updates sent directly to your Twitter feed.

About the Simon Wiesenthal Center:
The Simon Wiesenthal Center is an international Jewish human rights organization. It holds consultative status at the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the Council of Europe, the OAS, and the Latin American Parliament (PARLATINO).