What does Netanyahu’s arrest warrant mean for international law?

This is a rare opportunity to demonstrate that justice applies equally to everybody, regardless of rank or level of influence on the international stage, writes Sergey Vasiliev

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives to his Likud party faction meeting at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, after the ICC motion was made public (REUTERS)

There was one evocative moment among many in the interview ICC prosecutor Karim Khan gave to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, on the day he announced he would be requesting arrest warrants be issued for three top Hamas leaders and two members of the Israeli cabinet: PM Netanyahu and defence minister Gallant.

When Amanpour asked him about how he deals with related political pressure, citing US and Israeli officials’ diatribes against his (then-prospective) decision, Khan recalled a conversation with an “elected state official”: “I’ve had some elected leaders speak to me and be very blunt. ‘This Court is built for Africa and for thugs like Putin,’ was what one senior leader told me.”

“We don’t view it like that,” Khan responded to his interlocutor. “This court is the legacy of Nuremberg. This court is a sad indictment of humanity. This court should be the triumph of law over power and brute force…”