Courtesy of JNS. Photo credit: Sem van der Wal/ANP/AFP via Getty Images
Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp (left) meets with Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar in Amsterdam, two days after the pogrom in the city against Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, Nov. 9, 2024
(JNS) — On Thursday evening, Israel Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar concluded a conversation with Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp by informing the latter that his visit to the Jewish state that was set for this coming Monday would not take place.
The conversation centered on Amsterdam’s response to the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Sa’ar expressed “his disappointment, on behalf of the government of Israel and the people of Israel, regarding his [Veldkamp’s] statement in the Dutch Parliament following the court’s decision.”
He also presented Israel’s stance “on this outrageous and politically motivated decision.”
Earlier in the day, Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli urged Sa’ar to cancel Veldkamp’s visit. The call, which appeared on Chikli’s social media, came in response to the Netherlands’ stated commitment to honor the arrest warrants issued by the ICC.
The ICC’s decision, which cited alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, has sparked a diplomatic firestorm. The announcement by the Dutch government and other European countries has irked Israeli officials.
Chikli wrote, “I call on Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar to formally notify his Dutch counterpart that as long as this remains the policy of his government, he will not come [to Israel].”
He further emphasized the need for a strong response to the ICC’s “blatant antisemitic policy” and criticized the court for equating the leader of a democratic state with the head of a gang of murderous terrorists. “We should be very sharp and clear in the face of the clear antisemitic policy of the court in The Hague, which dares to place the head of a gang of killers and jihadist rapists in the same row with the leaders of a democratic country, zero compromises.”
The ICC’s decision has drawn criticism from Israeli officials, who view it as an attack on their right to self-defense. Netanyahu’s office dismissed the warrants as “absurd and unfounded,” labeling the ICC’s actions as “antisemitic.”
Other countries including Argentina, the Czech Republic, Hungary and the United States castigated the ICC decision. The Czech Republic has initiated a process to pause its membership in the Rome Statute that established the ICC. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó called the decision “a disgrace to the ICC.”
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told state radio, “Today I will invite Israel’s prime minister, Mr. Netanyahu, for a visit to Hungary, and in that invite I will guarantee him that if he comes, the ICC ruling will have no effect in Hungary, and we will not follow its contents,” Reuters reported.
The ICC also issued an arrest warrant for the late Hamas “military” leader Mohammed Deif. This move appears to be an attempt at balanced action, though both Israel and Hamas say that Deif was killed in an airstrike in July 2024. Requests for warrants were also issued for the late Hamas chiefs Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh, but these were retracted as the ICC determined that they were indeed dead.
The ICC has no jurisdiction over Israel, as Jerusalem is not a signatory to the Rome Statute. In a legalistic sleight of hand, the court asserted jurisdiction by accepting “Palestine” as a signatory in 2015, even though no such state is recognized under international law.
