French President Emmanuel Macron has agreed not to execute an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in exchange for a role in a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon. This was reported by the French magazine Le Point, citing a source close to the French leader.
According to the publication, shortly after the warrant was issued, the French President telephoned Netanyahu and stated that Paris “is obliged to respect the ICC and cooperate with it fully.” At the same time, Macron added, according to the magazine’s interlocutor, that the provisions of the ICC “provide for [cases of] immunity” from court arrest warrants.
In this regard, the parties discussed the situation around the truce in Lebanon. They agreed that Paris would have “an important role in the committee monitoring the implementation” of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which regulates the situation on the border between Israel and Lebanon. It was during this telephone conversation that “the last disagreements” between France and Israel were resolved, the magazine emphasizes. “[Granting Netanyahu immunity] was the price for France to play its role in the Lebanon agreement,” an Israeli source said.
Earlier, the French Foreign Ministry said that Netanyahu would not be detained on French soil, despite the ICC warrant. The statement said that, according to French law, Netanyahu and other ministers have immunity, which will be taken into account if the ICC requests his arrest and extradition.
