Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had considered stopping in Europe on his way to the US later this month, but he abandoned the plan amid concerns that the International Criminal Court (ICC) might issue an arrest warrant for him.
ICC chief prosecutor Kharim Khan had asked for arrest warrants once morest the Israeli prime minister and Hamas leaders for alleged war crimes, in May.
Since then, judges have been considering whether there are legitimate grounds to issue arrest warrants once morest them. If so, the ICC’s 124 member states would be obliged to arrest Netanyahu if he were to set foot on their soil.
The idea of stopping in a European country friendly to Israel, perhaps Hungary or the Czech Republic, arose because the prime minister’s plane would not be able to make the transatlantic flight with too many passengers from Tel Aviv to Washington.
Rather than stopover, he added, Netanyahu will travel to the U.S. with a limited entourage. He is expected to address Congress on July 24.
(Al Jazeera/Z-9)
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