Iranian Official: Death Penalty for Netanyahu ’Not Out of the Question’

By Al Ahed Staff, Agencies

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi suggested that pro-Palestinian countries unite to issue a death sentence against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior “Israeli” officials for their involvement in war crimes in Gaza.

Last month, the International Criminal Court [ICC], based in The Hague, issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former “Israeli” War Minister Yoav Gallant, citing “reasonable grounds to believe” that they were responsible for war crimes and “other inhumane acts” during “Israel’s” assault on Gaza.

In an interview published by the state-run news website ISNA, Gharibabadi argued that the ICC and the International Court of Justice – a separate judicial body that is currently examining a genocide case against the “Israeli” entity – lack a good track record of prosecuting “Israelis”.

“Such a court probably will not issue death sentences because it is affiliated with the UN,” he said, adding that there could be an alternative “formula” for obtaining capital punishment for “Israeli” officials. “Issuing a death sentence for Netanyahu is not impossible,” he said.

“Multiple countries have abolished the death penalty, but there are more than 55 countries that still have this form of punishment in their laws,” the diplomat noted.

“Therefore, two or three like-minded countries that support the Palestinian people and oppose [‘Israeli’] crimes can come together and form a joint court and issue a death sentence for these officials.”

“We should try to see if it is possible,” Gharibabadi said.

Last month, Leader of the Islamic Revolution His Eminence Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei said that Netanyahu and Gallant deserved to be sentenced to death.

The apartheid “Israeli” entity has been waging a brutal aggression on the besieged Gaza Strip in the aftermath of Hamas’s retaliatoy Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7, 2023.

Nearly 45,000 Palestinians have been martyred in Gaza since the start of “Israel’s” aggression in the densely populated enclave. The UN has repeatedly warned about a humanitarian disaster unfolding in Gaza and urged “Israel” not to impede the delivery of aid.