Colombian President Gustavo Petro said his country respects the International Criminal Court's decision and will arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant if they visit Colombia, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on countries around the world to abide by the ICC's decision and implement it immediately.

In a special interview with Al Jazeera, Petro added that the goal of the war of extermination that Israel is waging in the Gaza Strip is to prevent the establishment of a homeland for the Palestinians. He said: Since the first shell fell on Gaza, I have seen that what Israel intends to do is to carry out genocide against the Palestinians for political reasons.

The Colombian President considered that the results of the war between Israel and the Palestinians that we have reached until today confirm this, stressing that what is happening in Gaza and the Middle East is not just a passing war, but rather a threatening message and a frightening model from the West to the peoples of the countries of the South.

He believed that Washington's rejection of the decisions of the International Criminal Court, which it did not wish to join, means that it supports atrocities, noting that the major countries and countries that dream of controlling the world are disregarding international law, human rights and human civilization, and increasing tensions and wars in order to preserve their sovereignty and control.

Petro stressed that those who bet on the West will feel that they are alone and have been betrayed, like Ukraine and countries in Western Europe.

The Colombian president added that his people are affected by the horror of the scenes of genocide they see in Gaza and recall harsh memories, explaining: "We have suffered from brutality and killing, and so we feel more the meaning of the genocide that the Palestinian people are being subjected to."

He revealed that Colombia faced pressure because of its positions on the genocide in Gaza, and that lobbies were moving against it, especially the banking lobby. He also accused us of anti-Semitism after severing our relations with Israel, and they are wrong, as the Palestinians and Arabs are Semites.

European positions

In Oslo, Norway confirmed its commitment to the decisions of the International Criminal Court, and said that it would arrest Netanyahu and Galant as soon as they entered its territory.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said that any arrest warrant from the court must be executed if the wanted persons enter Norway, stressing that his country will follow the court's decision.

For his part, Andreas Kravik, Deputy Foreign Minister of Norway, said that Oslo would act in line with its obligations under international law if Netanyahu or anyone else against whom the court has issued an arrest warrant or extradition warrant came.

As for the European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, he considered that the decision of the International Criminal Court is not a political decision and all EU countries are obligated to implement it. Borrell added that the International Criminal Court seeks to put an end to impunity, and there will be no justice or peace without accountability.

Borrell added in a speech on Saturday during a conference on Israel and Palestine held in Greek Cyprus that the International Criminal Court seeks to put an end to impunity, and there will be no justice or peace without accountability, and he criticized countries that did not express their support for the court’s decision, calling on them to abide by the decision.

He pointed out that when the court decided to issue an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, many countries expressed their support for the decision at the time, but today some of those countries remain silent regarding the decision to arrest Netanyahu.

Erdogan's statements

In a related context, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed today, Saturday, the issuance of two arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court against Netanyahu and Galant, considering it a "courageous decision."

Erdogan said in a speech in Istanbul that Turkey supports the arrest warrant, and called on all concerned countries that are signatories to the agreement (the Rome Treaty) to abide by the court's decision with the aim of renewing humanity's confidence in the international system.

He added, "It is the duty of Western countries, which have been giving the world lessons about law, justice and human rights for years, to fulfill their promises in this regard."

Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, Erdogan has repeatedly stressed that his country will do "whatever it can to hold Netanyahu and his government accountable."

Last Thursday, the International Criminal Court issued two international arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Galant, on charges of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity during the ongoing genocide committed by Israel against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023.

On May 20, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan requested the issuance of arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Galant for their responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Israeli army in Gaza. Khan again asked the court in August to quickly issue arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Galant.

Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, leaving more than 148,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 10,000 missing, amid massive destruction and famine that killed dozens of children and elderly people, in one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world.

Israel continues its massacres, ignoring the UN Security Council resolution to end them immediately, and the International Court of Justice’s orders to take measures to prevent acts of genocide and improve the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza.