Afrasianet - After the United States, which refused to comply with the International Criminal Court and some Europeans are restless as well, France claims that Netanyahu has immunity that should not lead to his arrest, what are the reasons for this position?
Israeli media reports revealed that France's claim that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has "immunity" from arrest was linked to Tel Aviv's agreement to a role for French President Emmanuel Macron in the process of reaching a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon.
Commenting on the ICC warrant for Netanyahu's arrest, the French Foreign Ministry said that "the immunities of countries not party to the ICC apply to Netanyahu and other ministers," noting that they would have to be taken into account if the ICC requested their arrest.
It also declared "France's determination to continue to work closely with Netanyahu to achieve peace and security for all in the Middle East."
The Foreign Ministry's statement contradicts previous French statements that hinted at Paris' intention to cooperate in the execution of the arrest warrants against Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant.
"The background that led to France's announcement (of its intention not to cooperate with the ICC) is closely linked to its participation in the agreement between Israel and Lebanon," the Israel Broadcasting Corporation said.
"Behind the scenes, senior Israeli officials and others from the Foreign Ministry joined in pressuring France to make such a public announcement."
"The United States has even made it clear to the French that if they don't announce that Netanyahu won't be arrested, Paris won't be part of the deal."
The newspaper "Israel Today" also quoted an unnamed Israeli minister as saying that "Tel Aviv would not have agreed to Paris' participation in the agreement in the north (Lebanon) without abandoning compliance with the arrest warrants."
Neither Paris nor Tel Aviv immediately commented on Israel's state broadcaster.
Crimes against humanity
On November 21, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The court does not have police officers to implement its decision, but its member states, including France, are legally obliged to arrest Netanyahu and Galant if they enter their territory, and to hand them over to the ICC for legal action.