the counselor at the Israeli embassy in France denounces a “totally absurd decision”

Israel “never attacks civilian populations”, maintains Daniel Halevy-Goetschel, who also denies any desire to “starve” the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

“It’s a totally absurd decision”, was outraged on Wednesday May 22 on franceinfo Daniel Halevy-Goetschel, counselor at the Israeli embassy in France, while the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court requested arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leaders for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Gaza Strip and Israel. Daniel Halevy-Goetschel condemns this decision, but recalls that Israel “is in favor of international justice and therefore does not condemn the Court in itself.”

The diplomat judges “absurd” of “wanting to compare, in the same decision, Hamas”which he describes “terrorist organization” with “the State of Israel”. Daniel Halevy-Goetschel in fact accuses Hamas of having “committed atrocities on October 7”having “kidnapped more than 250 hostages” And “accomplished unprecedented sexual abuse”. He assures that Israel for its part “has a judicial system which can, if necessary, judge these acts”. Daniel Halevy-Goetschel underlines the fact that “several countries of the international community” have “condemned this requisition”. He thus evokes “the United States, Great Britain, Germany and even Italy” and invites France “to be continued” these positions.

These arrest warrants requested by ICC prosecutor Karim Khan were strongly criticized by the Israeli government. President Isaac Herzog notably accused the prosecutor of “throw fuel on the fire of anti-Semitism”. The counselor at the Israeli embassy in France maintains that “in this context, it is indeed anti-Semitism”before providing some details on this accusation. “All the attacks against Israel around the world, on campuses [par exemple]are part of what we call a new anti-Semitism”, he explains. Daniel Halevy-Goetschel assures that this anti-Semitism “finds in Zionism a new way to attack the Jews”but is nevertheless not “exactly the same anti-Semitism that we had in the past.”

In a statement, prosecutor Karim Khan said he was seeking arrest warrants against Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for crimes such as “the deliberate starvation of civilians”, “intentional homicide” And “extermination and/or murder”. On franceinfo, this Wednesday Daniel Halevy-Goetschel defends himself and promises that Israel “totally respects international law and humanitarian law”. He affirms that “since October 7, around 30,000 humanitarian aid trucks have returned” in the Gaza Strip and denies any will “to starve”. He explains that trucks have been prevented from entering the Gaza Strip largely because “There was a lack of logistics on the part of the UN, UNRWA and the international community.”

If he refuses to take into account the reports provided by the Hamas Ministry of Health, which estimated the number of deaths in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday at 35,647, the advisor at the Israeli embassy in France does not have however “exact number” and sees this as a consequence of the war: “If it hadn’t been for the Hamas attacks, these hostage takings, there wouldn’t have been this war,” he says. Daniel Halevy-Goetschel thinks he “It would have been enough for Hamas to return these hostages and hand over its leaders for all that” ends. He considers that a “a large part of the people who died [étaient] terrorists belonging to Hamas”, but adds that the Hebrew State is “against any civilian victim”. He assures that Israel “try to avoid” these civilian deaths and attacks “never civilian populations”. He therefore judges “absurd and false” the charges brought by the arrest warrants.