Le Point: Macron gave Netanyahu a huge reward for agreeing to a ceasefire in Lebanon
French newspaper Le Point reported that President Emmanuel Macron agreed not to implement the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Le Point explained, quoting a source close to the French presidency, that the approval came in exchange for Benjamin Netanyahu’s role in the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon.
Le Point added, “Shortly after the arrest warrant was issued, the French president called Netanyahu and said that Paris is obligated to respect the International Criminal Court and cooperate fully with it at the same time, as the International Criminal Court’s rulings provide immunity from arrest warrants issued by the court”.
The French newspaper confirmed that during this phone call, the recent differences between France and Israel were resolved, and granting Netanyahu immunity was the price that France paid for playing its role in the Lebanon agreement.
In a statement on the International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Netanyahu, the French Foreign Ministry said, “Paris will fulfill its international obligations, including cooperation with the International Criminal Court,” while noting that “it cannot be required by this cooperation to act in a manner inconsistent with its obligations under international law regarding the immunities of states not party to the International Criminal Court”.
The French Foreign Ministry’s statement on the arrest warrant came on the day a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect.
It’s noteworthy that the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant on November 21 against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant on charges of committing war crimes in the Gaza Strip.
