In a candid and controversial revelation, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has confirmed what many critics of international justice have long suspected: that realpolitik will always trump accountability when it comes to powerful allies. Speaking during a television appearance on Belgium’s VRT network, De Wever stated that “no European country” would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, even if a valid warrant was issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). His admission has triggered intense backlash within Belgium and across Europe, highlighting the widening gap between the West’s rhetorical commitment to international law and its actual practices.

The ICC issued arrest warrants in November 2023 for both Netanyahu and then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes in Gaza, including the use of starvation as a method of warfare during Israel’s military response to a deadly Hamas raid. These are serious charges, invoking some of the gravest breaches under the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the ICC. Yet the reaction from European capitals has not been one of solemn reflection or commitment to justice – but rather, evasion.

De Wever, the leader of Belgium’s nationalist New Flemish Alliance and head of a five-party coalition government, did not mince words. Referring to Hungary’s recent declaration of its intent to withdraw from the Rome Statute, he said: “We would do that too, to be completely honest.” He then added, “There is also realpolitik. I don’t believe there is any European country willing to arrest Netanyahu if he were on its soil.”

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