Argentina says ICC warrants 'ignore' Israel's right to self-defence

President Javier Milei on Thursday reiterated his strong support for Israel and its under-fire Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, condemning the warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the Israeli leader’s arrest.

Reacting to Wednesday’s decision by the ICC, which also said it would seek the arrest of former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant, President Milei expressed Argentina’s “profound disagreement” with the international tribunal.

The decision, said Milei’s government, "ignores Israel's legitimate right to self-defence against the constant attacks by terrorist organisations like Hamas and Hezbollah.”

"The Argentine Republic expresses its profound disagreement with the recent decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue arrest warrants against the Prime Minister of Israel and the former Minister of Defence," read a statement published on social media.

Milei said Israel was currently "facing brutal aggression, inhumane hostage-taking" and an "indiscriminate" attack on its citizens.

"Criminalising the legitimate defence of a nation while omitting these atrocities is an act that distorts the spirit of international justice," continued the release.

The ICC issued warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, as well as Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif, "for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least October 8, 2023 until at least May 20, 2024."

Hamas militants conducted a stunning cross-border raid on Israel on October 7 last year that resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel has since then been fighting a war in Gaza, which the militant group rules.

The Hamas government's health ministry in the Gaza Strip said Thursday at least 44,056 people had been killed in more than 13 months of war. The United Nations considers the figures reliable.

Milei has presented himself as a close ally of Israel, visiting the country in February and making waves by likening Hamas's attack to the Holocaust and announcing plans to move the Argentinian embassy to Jerusalem.

The president grew up Catholic but has displayed an enthusiasm for orthodox Jewish thought, regularly consulting with a rabbi and describing himself last year as a "Torah scholar."

Argentina has the largest Jewish community in Latin America.

In the statement, Milei expressed his "solidarity" with the Middle Eastern nation, and "reaffirmed" Israel’s right "to protect its people" and "demand the immediate release of all hostages" taken in the October 7 attacks.

"We call on the international community to condemn the actions of Hamas and Hezbollah, to defend Israel's sovereignty and to act justly and impartially in the search for a lasting peace in the region," the statement concluded.

– TIMES/NA/AFP