Genocide: Turkish Court Issues Arrest Warrant On Netanyahu, 36 Israeli Officials
A Turkish court issued arrest warrants for ‘Israeli’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and 36 other ‘Israeli’ officials on charges of genocide in Gaza.
The action, considered largely symbolic, follows the International Criminal Court (ICC) issuing similar warrants against Netanyahu for war crimes in November 2024.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office announced the decision on Friday, targeting Netanyahu along with figures such as Israel Katz, Eyal Zamir, and David Saar Salama.
The warrants stem from charges related to what Turkish authorities say is a genocide in Gaza, where ‘Israel’ killed nearly 69,000 people, mostly women and children, with over 170,600 wounded.
This domestic Turkish action appears largely symbolic, as Turkey lacks jurisdiction to enforce the warrants outside its borders unless the accused enter the country.
Similar to past Turkish legal moves, such as those related to the 2010 Gaza flotilla raid, it reflects Ankara’s strong anti-‘Israel’ stance under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Erdogan has repeatedly condemned ‘Israel’s’ genocide campaign in Gaza and called for international accountability.
This follows the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) issuance of arrest warrants in November 2024 for Netanyahu and former ‘Israeli’ Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
The ICC cited reasonable grounds for believing the leaders were responsible for starvation tactics and targeting civilians, a decision that drew sharp rebukes from ‘Israel’ and the United States.
Netanyahu has previously claimed the ICC efforts are “anti-Semitic” and vowed to continue the assault on Gaza until “Hamas is defeated”.
‘Israel’ allies such as Hungary and Argentina condemned the court. The European Union remains divided, with some members pledging to enforce the warrants if Netanyahu travels to their territories.
South Africa is leading a genocide case against ‘Israel’ at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
