The International Criminal Court (ICC) has rejected Israel’s request to suspend the arrest warrants issued against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. This decision sparked a strong reaction from Israeli authorities, who challenged the Court’s jurisdiction.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar voiced his disagreement on platform X, stating: “The ICC has never had, and still does not have, the legal jurisdiction to issue such warrants against Israeli officials”. He emphasized that Israel is not a party to the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the ICC, which, in his view, invalidates any judicial action by the Court against Israel. The warrants were described as “illegal” and “without any legal value.”
Israeli officials quoted by the public broadcaster Kan also condemned the decision as “ridiculous” and “lacking legitimacy.”
The ICC stated on Thursday that Israel’s request was based on legally unfounded arguments. The appeals chamber upheld its decision to proceed with the case, marking a significant step in the investigation targeting Netanyahu and Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
As a reminder, the arrest warrants were issued on November 21, 2024, as part of an investigation into events following the outbreak of war in Gaza on October 7, 2023. The conflict, backed militarily and diplomatically by the United States, has resulted in over 168,000 Palestinian casualties, the majority of whom are women and children, along with more than 11,000 missing persons.
Under blockade for 18 years, the Gaza Strip is currently facing a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Around 1.5 million Palestinians are displaced, and a severe famine threatens the population due to Israel’s closure of humanitarian corridors.
