Fact check: Where do EU countries stand on ICC’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu?

euronews (in English)

The International Criminal Court's (ICC) arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu continues to draw mixed and often ambiguous reactions from European officials.

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00:00Would EU countries arrest Netanyahu?

00:08The International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

00:13continues to draw mixed reactions from European officials.

00:17The Hague-based court has no means of enforcing that warrant

00:21and relies on its state parties to do so.

00:25All 27 EU countries are among the ICC's 124 state parties.

00:31But not all have committed to arresting Netanyahu should he step on their territories

00:36despite calls from the EU's top diplomats on them to do so.

00:40Here's what we know.

00:42Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland, Lithuania, Slovenia and Spain

00:46are among the EU countries that have suggested they would comply with the warrant.

00:51Despite being a firm Israel ally, Austria has also said it would have no choice but to arrest Netanyahu

00:57despite Foreign Minister Alexander Schellenberg describing the ruling as absurd.

01:03Hungary would refuse to comply with the court, according to Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

01:08But there are a handful of key EU countries who have not clearly laid out their position

01:14and whose ambiguity is casting doubt over the credibility of the court.

01:19German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has suggested Germany would enforce the warrant

01:24but a government spokesperson on the other hand has said that would be hard to imagine.

01:28Italy and France have recently questioned the feasibility of the warrant

01:33despite showing support for the work of the ICC.

01:36France's Foreign Ministry, for example, has suggested Netanyahu is immune

01:40because Israel is not a state party to the ICC.

01:43Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has also suggested Netanyahu's arrest

01:48is unfeasible as long as he is in office.

01:51The positions of Estonia and the Czech Republic are also ambiguous.

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