TEHRAN- The thought of potential arrest upon an order by the International Criminal Court (ICC) has made Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu break out in a cold sweat.

ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan requested arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his war minister Yoav Gallant on May 20 for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.
If the ICC finally decides to issue the arrest warrants more than 120 countries that have signed the Rome Statute are obliged to detain the Israeli prime minister and war minister and then transfer them to The Hague.
The EU foreign policy chief has already reminded the states which are parties to the Rome Statute that they must implement the court’s rulings.
“The mandate of the ICC, as an independent international institution, is to prosecute the most serious crimes under international law. All States that have ratified the ICC statutes are bound to execute the court’s decisions,” Josep Borrell wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, back in May. 

Frozen with fear 

Israeli media have now reported that Netanyahu has considered avoiding a stopover in Europe on his way to the US when he travels to address Congress on July 24. 
The Israeli public broadcaster KAN suggested Netanyahu, known as Bibi, mulled visiting the Czech Republic and Hungary after it was understood that his plane, Wing of Zion, was unable to make a transatlantic flight while carrying a full load of passengers. 
KAN said Netanyahu’s office had reviewed the option of having a stopover in the two European countries, which are considered friends to Israel, and called ICC arrest requests "unacceptable". 
The premier, however, has changed his mind and decided to travel directly with a limited entourage to Washington, DC, the report said. 

Gaza genocide 
The ICC is not the only international organization that has accused Israel of perpetrating war crimes. 

The Netanyahu regime stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. 

The ICJ found in January that there was a risk of violation of the rights of the Palestinian people to protection from genocide.
It ordered Israel to “take all measures within its power” to desist from killing Palestinians in contravention of the genocide convention, to prevent and punish the incitement of genocide, and to facilitate the provision of “urgent basic services”.

The top UN court also issued a ruling in May calling on Israel to end its operation in the Gaza Strip’s southernmost city of Rafah.

But Israel has turned a blind eye to the court’s rulings and continued its brutal massacres in the Gaza Strip.

Israel has slaughtered about 38,300 people in Gaza since declaring war on the territory on October 7.

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, more than 88,000 others have also been wounded during Israeli strikes over the past nine months. 

Nonetheless, the British medical journal, The Lancet, issued a harrowing warning that the true death toll of the Gaza conflict could be over 186,000, accounting for 8% of Gaza’s population.

The Lancet’s report published Friday said the official figure released by health officials in Gaza is a significant underestimate.

It cites thousands still trapped under rubble and those who have succumbed to the secondary effects of the conflict, such as malnutrition, disease, and lack of medical care.
 

Isolated more than ever

Israel’s brutal massacres in the Gaza Strip have deepened its international isolation as the Netanyahu regime rejects calls to bring an end to the onslaught in the besieged Palestinian territory. 

The United States, which is Israel’s main ally, has also made public critical remarks about the regime’s carnage in Gaza. However, Washington’s criticism is aimed at appeasing domestic opposition to Israel’s atrocities ahead of the November presidential election. 

The KAN report signals that Netanyahu behaves like a cat on hot bricks even when he considers visiting countries that are ranked among Israel’s friends.  

Netanyahu only feels safe if he directly travels to the United States where he is set to meet with President Joe Biden. 

Biden plans to role out the red carpet for Bibi while he has the blood of Palestinians on his hands over Washington’s support for the Israeli regime’s barbarism in Gaza.