The Palestinian Authority called on the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant against the Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, against the background of statements attributed to him in which he praised the “Shield and Arrow” operation in the Gaza Strip, and expressed support for targeted countermeasures in Judea and Samaria as well.
In a statement published by the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it is written that "the ministry condemns the statements of the fascist Ben Gvir, the warmonger who is proud of shedding the blood of Palestinians, with his inciting calls for more killings in the West Bank as happened in Gaza. These positions are considered a license to kill Palestinian residents."
The office in Ramallah also claimed that Minister Ben Gvir's words about expanding the circle of targeted countermeasures are in the context of "a call for the deepening of ethnic cleansing in the West Bank and the killing of a large number of Palestinian residents in preparation for their replacement by settlers." In addition to the arrest warrant, the Palestinians asked the court to issue the following order against Ben Gvir and also demanded that the international community boycott him and pursue him legally.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the statements made by the Israeli Occupation's Police Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, "who beats the drums of war and sheds Palestinian blood and is proud of that."
— Filomena Rocha (@Filomen03258997) May 14, 2023
https://t.co/OrD9NPE4Jf
It should be noted that this is a declarative notice and not an official request submitted by the Palestinian Authority to the Criminal Court in The Hague, as there are not much substantial internationally illegal violations committed by Ben Gvir that can be used as evidence. After military operations during which Palestinians are killed, the PA usually publishes announcements in which it calls on the Hague Tribunal to open a criminal investigation against Israel on suspicion of committing "war crimes", so this letter is nothing too out of the ordinary.
In response to the accusations and meaningless requests by the Palestinian Authority, Ben Gvir said: "The threats of the Palestinian Authority not only do not scare me but give me extra motivation to act against the terrorists who come out of their vicinity. Abu Mazen is a terrorist and so are his other accomplices. This is a body of terrorists that also supports and finances terrorist activity. I will continue to work for the security of Israeli citizens."
Smotrich and Ben Gvir and their entire "political party" should be dragged before the Hague and locked up for life. https://t.co/WbgTBP0R9u
— chitowngringa #Boycott Bibi-BenGvir (@chitowngirl1982) March 5, 2023
The accusations on behalf of the PA come after Ben Gvir held a meeting with his party members and reportedly said: "The next operation must be in Judea and Samaria. There are quite a few threats coming out of there, so the next requirement is targeted countermeasures there as well."
