News- Middle East: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says his government will honor and enforce the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should he visit Canada.

Speaking in an interview with the US-based Bloomberg television network on Sunday, Carney said “yes” when asked whether Canada would honor the ICC’s arrest warrant and be prepared to detain the 75-year-old Israeli leader.

Canada “will act in accordance with international law and our international legal policy,” Carney said, adding, “If he enters Canada, he will be arrested in accordance with the order of the International Criminal Court.”

In November 2024, The Hague-seated ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli minister of military affairs Yoav Gallant, citing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Last week, the ICC rejected Israel’s appeal to suspend arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, citing “reasonable grounds” to believe they bear responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity during the onslaught in Gaza, where more than 68,000 Palestinians have been killed.  

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for its war on the besieged coastal territory.

South Africa initiated the landmark proceedings against the occupying  regime, pointing to violations of the 1948 Genocide Convention in its genocidal war on Gaza.

From January to May 2024, the World Court issued three sets of provisional measures requiring Israel to cease acts of genocide, suspend its military offensives, and permit humanitarian access to the region.

Canada officially recognized a Palestinian state on September 21, prior to the United Nations General Assembly, in conjunction with coordinated statements from the United Kingdom, Australia, and Portugal, which were soon echoed by France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, and Andorra on September 22 and 23.

Source: Press TV