Israel intends to challenge the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision to issue arrest warrants for Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, according to reports in Israeli media on Wednesday.
Netanyahu reportedly finalized the decision just before the deadline, as Israel was required to respond to the ICC by midnight on Wednesday to confirm whether it would appeal the warrants, as highlighted in a report by Ynet.
The ICC announced last Thursday that it had reasonable grounds to believe the two officials were involved in war crimes, specifically the use of starvation as a method of warfare, as well as crimes against humanity, including murder and persecution. In the early stages of the war, following Hamas’s invasion, humanitarian assistance from the IDF faced delays due to intense combat aimed at repelling the terrorist group’s incursion.
The ICC’s ruling also restricts Netanyahu and Gallant’s travel options, barring them from entering the more than 120 member states of the court, which include the majority of European countries. However, they can still visit non-member nations like the United States and certain Middle Eastern states.
Both Israel and the United States have condemned the ICC’s decision.
A spokesperson for the court, Fadi El Abdallah, explained the ICC’s role, stating, “If there are no genuine investigations or prosecutions, then the court has to investigate and prosecute where the legal conditions are met.” He further emphasized that the ICC intervenes only when domestic judicial systems fail to adequately address cases.
{Matzav.com}