On the 20th, President Lee Jae-myung said it was "far too inhumane and way over the line" that the Israeli military detained Koreans aboard an international relief ship. He also said of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "Isn't he recognized as a war criminal by the International Criminal Court (ICC) with an arrest warrant issued?" and proposed reviewing a plan to arrest Netanyahu if he enters Korea.
Presiding over a cabinet meeting at the Blue House that day, Lee asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the circumstances of the international relief ship bound for the Palestinian Gaza Strip that was seized by the Israeli military. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a relief ship carrying human rights activists Kim Dong-hyun and Kim Ah-hyun was detained by the Israeli military in the early hours of the 18th and the 20th, respectively.
Lee said, "I hear that Israel is seizing or even sinking ships, including our nationals who say they are going to Gaza to volunteer. What is the legal basis?" He added, "Isn't it, under international law, an illegal intrusion and invasion of Gaza by Israel?" Wi Sung-lac, the Blue House Office of National Security chief, said, "We need to examine that," adding, "The incident was triggered by Hamas attacking Israel and killing close to 2,000 people, and Israel is imposing military control toward that area."
Lee then repeatedly asked whether the Gaza Strip is Israeli territory and said, "Is it their land? Is it Israeli territorial waters?" When the chief answered, "It is not Israeli territory," Lee said, "Then shouldn't we protest?" and added, "If they are at war, can they seize a third country's ship? Law aside, this is basic common sense, and this is also a matter of the line, isn't it?"
The chief said, "It's a bit complicated with those (seized) people," adding, "Last time, we told them not to enter because the Gaza area is off-limits, but they entered." Lee responded, "Not following government policy and recommendations is our internal issue, but isn't it true that our citizens were taken for reasons that are not valid under international law?" He added, "As I see it, it is too extreme and inhumane."
He continued, "Right now, almost all European countries have issued arrest warrants (for Prime Minister Netanyahu) and announced that they will arrest him if he enters their countries," adding, "From what I see, there are quite a lot, so let's make our own judgment." He also said, "There are what we call minimum international norms, and (Israel) is breaking all of them," adding, "Do it by the book. We have endured far too much."