Netanyahu commends Paraguayan president on response to ICC arrest warrant

Pena’s visit is centered on Paraguay’s moving its embassy to Jerusalem.

By ELIAV BREUER DECEMBER 11, 2024 12:21 Updated: DECEMBER 11, 2024 13:10

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the Knesset. December 11, 2024. (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Wednesday, commended Paraguayan president Santiago Pena on his country’s rejection of the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants against Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant.

Pena’s visit is centered on Paraguay’s moving its embassy to Jerusalem. The move was first announced in May 2018 but was reversed in September of that year.

A country that understands the truth

In his speech at a special session welcoming Pena to the Knesset in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said that Paraguay was a country that understood the truth about the accusations.

Opposition leader MK Yair Lapid, who spoke after Netanyahu, spoke about the importance of liberal democracy and argued that in an age of chaos in many democracies, Israel must make efforts to maintain its liberal character.

“Israel will be a liberal democracy, or it will not be,” Lapid said.

Paraguay's president Santiago Pena speaks at the Knesset. December 11, 2024. (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)

In his speech, Pena commended what he said were shared values between the Jewish and Paraguayan people: a deep sense of religiosity that sanctifies human life, the understanding that adversity and sacrifice were intrinsic to enduring and thriving, and the necessity of tough leadership amidst historically hostile surroundings.

Explaining his decision to move Paraguay’s embassy to Jerusalem, Pena said that Jerusalem was the heart of the Jewish people and, therefore, was Israel’s eternal capital. Pena condemned the rise of antisemitism and stressed his country’s dedication to standing by Israel when many other countries were “turning their backs.”

Earlier this year, Paraguay’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote on X/Twitter following the ICC decision, "The Government of the Republic of Paraguay regrets the decision of the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants against the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the former Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant. This decision violates Israel's legitimate right to defend itself.”

“Paraguay strongly rejects the political exploitation of international law and considers that this decision compromises the legitimacy of the Court, in addition to weakening efforts for peace, security, and stability in the Middle East.