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Dutch FM’s Israel visit canceled after the Netherlands said it would arrest Netanyahu

The Netherlands was the first of at least 6 European countries to declare they would abide by the ICC’s decision.

By Vered Weiss World Israel News

Following the Netherland’s statement that it would comply with the ICC arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the Dutch Foreign Minister’s visit to Israel has been canceled, according to Ynet.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said he spoke with Dutch FM Kasper Waldekamp and the two agreed the state visit should be postponed.

The Netherlands, which hosts the International Criminal Court in the Hague, was the first of at least 6 European countries to declare they would abide by the ICC’s decision and arrest Netanyahu and Gallant.

In a statement, the Israeli Foreign Ministry declared, “Minister Sa’ar expressed his disappointment, on behalf of the Israeli government and people, over the statement made in the Dutch Parliament following the ICC decision.”

“The minister also presented Israel’s stance regarding this scandalous and politically motivated decision. It was agreed during the conversation that the Dutch foreign minister’s visit to Israel, planned for Monday, would not take place,” the statement added.

Canada, along with European countries Norway, Switzerland, Ireland and The Netherlands said they would implement the ICC arrest warrants with several other countries, such as Italy and France, not providing clear statements about their willingness to execute arrests.

Read  Six European countries and Canada would arrest Netanyahu, following ICC decision

The UK denounced the moral equivalency between Israel and Hamas implied by the decision.

“This government has been clear that Israel has a right to defend itself, in accordance with international law. There is no moral equivalence between Israel, a democracy, and Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah, which are terrorist organizations,” a UK government spokesman said.

The United States, Hungary and Argentina condemned the ICC’s decision and indicated they would not comply.