Extracts: Netanyahu is an elected official if he committed war crimes it's up to the Israelis themselves to prosecute not The Hague. Israel is (still) a democracy and has the right to defend herself.
Benjamin Netanyahu has railed against the court, calling it an "enemy of humanity" and saying the decision is anti-Semitic, biased and morally bankrupt but he now has the questionable distinction of facing court both in his own country, for alleged bribery, fraud and breach of trust as well as in The Hague
Investigating and potentially prosecuting Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant domestically for their direction of the war in Gaza is one way for Israel to avoid further international isolation
Israel has long argued that as a democracy with an independent legal system, it is immune to ICC prosecution under something known as the principle of complementarity
Professor of International Law at the Australian National University, Donald Rothwell, told the ABC Australia
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"It's acknowledged that if Israel was to radically change its position and demonstrate that it was legitimately conducting an investigation and that there is a real prospect of possible prosecutions, then obviously the ICC process would be halted"
But as there has been no investigation of these specific allegations within Israel — and the response to the arrest warrants from Israeli MPs across the political spectrum makes clear that there won't be — these two senior officials now join Russian President Vladimir Putin among the leaders wanted for trial at the ICC
