France announced on Wednesday that "Israeli" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “immune” from international arrest following warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

 

The announcement coincides with reports of Netanyahu personally urging French President Emmanuel Macron not to enforce the ICC’s decision.

 

The French Foreign Ministry justified its stance by citing Netanyahu’s immunity as a sitting head of government, particularly since "Israel" is not a member state of the ICC. This reasoning has been previously invoked by states refusing to arrest figures like Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir, despite consistent ICC rejections of such immunity claims.

 

The ICC maintains that heads of state are not protected from its jurisdiction, even if their nations have not signed the Rome Statute.

 

Many speculate that France's announcement has a lot to do with Netanyahu's alleged phone call with Macron last week, expressing his anger and requesting that France disregard the arrest warrant.

 

According to RMC radio, Macron assured Netanyahu that France would uphold international law but suggested that judges could grant immunity to heads of state.

 

While Macron has not publicly addressed the matter, French Prime Minister Michel Barnier reiterated in parliament that France remains committed to fulfilling its obligations under international law regarding the ICC's decision.