Trudeau says Canada would 'abide' by ICC arrest warrant for Israel PM Netanyahu

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks at a news conference Sharon, Ont. on Thursday November 21, 2024. (Chris Young / The Canadian Press)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada will “abide” by an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“We stand up for international law, and we will abide by all the all the regulations and rulings of the international courts,” Trudeau said. “This is just who we are as Canadians.”

On Thursday, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant for “crimes against humanity and crimes committed” since the Israel-Hamas war began more than a year ago.

The ICC was created in 2002 to prosecute war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity in cases where its member states are unwilling or incapable of doing so. Canada is among its 124 member states.

The ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif, although Israel has said he was killed in an air strike in Gaza in July.

Both Israel and Hamas have rejected the allegations.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Trudeau reiterated the federal government’s call for a ceasefire in the war.

“We need to see a ceasefire that protects civilians. We need to get back on track towards a two-state solution with a peaceful Israel living alongside a peaceful Palestinian state,” Trudeau said.

In Washington, D.C., Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly repeated the prime minister’s position.

“We need accountability in our world, and so based on that, Canada will abide by its obligation under the ICC treaty,” Joly said.

Netanyahu’s office is describing the arrest warrants as “an antisemitic decision.”

Israel’s Ambassador to Canada Iddo Moed, meanwhile, is speaking out against Canada’s stance to abide by the warrants.

“We urge the Canadian government to stand firm in its support of Israel’s right to defend itself by rejecting and condemning the ICC’s decision,” Moed said in a statement.

The United States, which is not an ICC member, is rejecting the ICC decision.

"The United States fundamentally rejects the Court’s decision to issue arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials. We remain deeply concerned by the Prosecutor’s rush to seek arrest warrants and the troubling process errors that led to this decision," a White House National Security Council spokesperson said, adding the U.S. is discussing next steps with its partners.

The ICC does not have its own police force to enforce the warrants. It will be up to the 124 member states to cooperate.

With files from Reuters