The ministry issued a statement in the wake of arrest warrants the International Criminal Court (ICC) requested be issued earlier this week against Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and simultaneously against Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, which follows:

"The ICC is an independent and impartial international court which investigates and tries the most serious international crimes, if the country that has jurisdiction for proceedings is unable or unwilling to do so."

"The ICC and the prosecutor must be free of external interference and pressure. Estonia supports the independence of the ICC and has always done so."

"The ICC prosecutor has submitted an application for issuing arrest warrants but the court has not made a decision yet. The ICC's pre-trial chamber must now debate the prosecutor's application for arrest warrants and assess the evidence submitted and the relevant circumstances. since the court has not yet examined the application of the prosecutor, we should not speculate on possible arrest warrants"

"At the same time, we must admit that it was curious to hear about the simultaneous applications for arrest warrants for both the leaders of Hamas as well as the Israeli prime minister and the defense minister. Hamas is a terrorist organization. Israel has the right and responsibility to defend its people, naturally while respecting and adhering to international humanitarian law." "Equating Hamas with the State of Israel is something we cannot consider appropriate in any sense."

"Estonia is also working to make sure that crimes receive a just punishment in independent trials. We call on all countries to cooperate with the ICC and strive to ensure an independent investigation of potential offenses."

Comment from the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the application of the ICC prosecutor to issue arrest warrants for the leaders of Hamas and Israeli Prime Minister and Defence Minister pic.twitter.com/GzCsb4WWqb

— Estonian MFA | #StandWithUkraine (@MFAestonia) May 22, 2024

The statement echoes comments made on Tuesday by all parties represented at the Riigikogu, who objected to the ICC warrants on the grounds that they equate the actions of a democratically elected leader of a sovereign nation with those of the leader of a terror organization.

The ICC has also issued arrest warrant requests in respect of Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, plus two other senior Hamas leaders.

Benjamin Netanyahu himself has condemned the ICC prosecutor, British lawyer Karim A. A. Khan, over the move, while U.S. President Joe Biden has also stated that there is no equivalence between Israel and Hamas. 

Neither Israel nor the U.S. are ICC members.

The charges against the Israeli and Hamas leaders follow the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, launched from the Gaza strip, on Israel which killed an estimated 1,200 people. Over 250 more were taken hostage by Hamas.

Israel's counter strikes on Gaza have led to the deaths of an estimated 35,500 people, the BBC reports, citing the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.

Some of Israel's other western allies have avoided directly criticizing the ICC in their statements; Ireland, Norway, and Spain have announced they will formally recognize the Palestinian state as early as next week, bringing the total number of European nations to do so to nine.

​Founded in 2002, The International Criminal Court (ICC) investigates and, where warranted, tries individuals charged with the gravest crimes of concern to the international community: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression.

Estonian Prosecutor General Andres Parmas applied last year to become an ICC judge, though this bid was unsuccessful.

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