Dutton: Netanyahu welcome in Australia
Dutton made it clear he has grave concerns about the ICC’s conduct.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has challenged the authority of the International Criminal Court (ICC) over its arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, declaring that a Coalition government would welcome Netanyahu to Australia.
In an interview with The Australian, Dutton stated that Netanyahu “would be a welcome guest in our country” and “would be accorded the respect that the Israeli Prime Minister should be accorded”.
Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) executive director Colin Rubenstein welcomed what he called Dutton’s principled stance. He described the ICC decision to seek to arrest Netanyahu as “a mockery of international law”.
“It is clearly based on improper political considerations, typical of the hopelessly biased UN system the court is part of and should be treated with the contempt it deserves,” Rubenstein said.
Dutton made it clear he has grave concerns about the ICC’s conduct, criticising what he described as the court’s culture and approach toward Israel.
While Foreign Minister Penny Wong has stated Australia respects the court’s independence, the government has not explicitly said whether it would arrest Netanyahu.
The ICC warrants relate to allegations against Netanyahu and former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, but the legitimacy of the warrants has been questioned as Israel is not a party to the ICC and is not subject to its jurisdiction.
The former Liberal cabinet minister who negotiated Australia’s original membership of the ICC, Alexander Downer, has attacked the court’s decision, suggesting Australia should consider withdrawing from it.
The Alliance of Australian Muslims and Australian National Imams Council have criticised Dutton, saying that “undermining the authority of the ICC not only jeopardises Australia’s standing on the international stage but also signals a disregard for the values of the international community and, importantly, the rule of law and legal institutions.”
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