Czech Senate President Denounces War Crimes Charges Against Netanyahu

Photo Credit: Esty Dziubov/TPS

The street sign in Jerusalem pointing to the Czech house in the Jerusalem Cinematheque.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar is in the Czech Republic where he met with the President of the Senate of the Czech Republic, Miloš Vystrčil and other senior members of the Senate. Vystrcil criticized the International Criminal Courts war crimes charges against Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant saying, “According to the decision of the Hague Tribunal, it was not possible to defeat Hitler in World War II.”

At their meeting, Foreign Minister Sa’ar also referred to the orders of the International Criminal Court in The Hague saying, “It is clear what they are trying to do here. To tie Israel’s hands and feet so that it cannot defend itself. According to the Hague Tribunal, it was not possible to defeat Hitler in World War II. Just as an agreement was signed for the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1938 when it was not represented in the room at all, they want to judge Israel in a court that it is not even a member of. I know that the Czech people are a moral and ethical people. I ask you to raise your voice against this injustice.”

At the meeting, members of the Senate voiced criticism of the court’s decision and one of them defined it as “absurd”.

On Thursday, Sa’ar met with the Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala and the Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský.

Sa’a and Fiala discussed the situation in Lebanon and the need to enforce the prevention of Hezbollah’s return to Israel’s border.

“I emphasized that this is an opportunity for Lebanon to emancipate itself from Iranian occupation,” said Sa’ar. “I added that the international community can and must assist in this effort.”

Sa’ar called on the Czech Republic to stand firmly with Israel against the ICC’s unjust warrants.

With FM Lipavsky, Sa’ar said he commended the “historic and strategic relations between our nations, built on trust and mutual values.”

He called the Czech Republic a “moral voice in Europe” and asked it to help counter the “unjust campaign against Israel, which targets Israel’s right to self-defense.”