What are the ICC countries where Netanyahu and Gallant…

What are the ICC countries where Netanyahu and Gallant may face arrest?

The International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, issued arrest warrants on Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant [Peter Dejong/AP Photo]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant are now fugitives from justice after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants against them over suspected war crimes in Gaza.

While Israel does not recognise the authority of the ICC and Netanyahu and Gallant will not turn themselves in, the pair’s world just got a lot smaller.

The Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC, includes 124 state parties across six continents. Under the statute, countries that are part of the ICC are legally bound to enforce its arrest warrants, according to international human rights lawyer Jonathan Kuttab.

“The law operates on the basis of a presumption that people will obey it. That’s how all laws are created,” Kuttab told Al Jazeera.

“You expect everybody to respect the law. Those who don’t respect the law are themselves violating the law.”

He added that there were early signs that countries would not ignore the court’s decision. Many of Israel’s allies — including the European Union — have committed to enforcing the arrest warrants, Kuttab pointed out.

Netanyahu has rebuked the charges and called them anti-Semitic.

Here is the list of countries where Netanyahu and Gallant could be detained after the ICC’s decision: