Western first PM's war crime charge is landmark moment

The international criminal court's decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli leaders over the war in Gaza has been welcomed by Palestinians as a landmark moment in their decade-long fight to challenge the Israeli occupation through international institutions.

- Bethan McKernan

Last week's announcement from the international criminal court's (ICC) pretrial chamber of arrest warrants for Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, sent shock waves through the legal system. As the first time that officials from a democratic, western-allied state have been charged with war crimes, it is seen as the most significant action taken by the court.

"We had no illusions about how tough this road was going to be. Every step leading to this moment was difficult, but Palestine stayed the course," said Ammar Hijazi, who leads the Palestinian Authority's delegation to The Hague, the seat of the ICC. "We told the world justice for Palestine will be the litmus test of the international system; we were not being hyperbolic."

Diana Buttu, a human rights lawyer and former Palestinian peace negotiator, said: "The days ahead for Palestine are not good... At the same time, Israel will struggle to remove the stain of these warrants. When countries like Canada and the Netherlands say they will implement the court's decision, it calls weapons sales and the level of political support for Israel into question."