Israeli President and government condemn ICC over warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant

"This is a dark day for justice. A dark day for humanity. Taken in bad faith, the outrageous decision at the ICC has turned universal justice into a universal laughing stock," he said.

The President stated that Israel has the duty and the right to protect its people. He argued that the ICC’s decision has turned the justice system into a "human shield for Hamas’ crimes."

The Israeli government also condemned the ICC’s decision. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, quoted by The Times of Israel, accused the ICC of antisemitism.

"This is modern antisemitism in the guise of justice,” states Transportation Minister Miri Regev on X, calling the warrants a "legal absurdity."

Negev, Galilee and National Resilience Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf described the warrants as "antisemitic accusations against all citizens of Israel." He emphasized that Israel will "not be deterred and will continue to fight murderous terrorism".

Arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant

On Thursday, November 21, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

In September, Israel submitted two complaints to the ICC, but the court dismissed them and instead issued warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant on charges of "crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least October 8, 2023 until at least May 20, 2024".

Under the Rome Statute of the ICC, countries that have ratified the treaty are obligated to arrest Netanyahu and Gallant if they enter their territory. The Rome Statute has been signed by 137 countries and ratified by 123.

Recently, Ukraine also ratified the Rome Statute. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the corresponding law on August 24.