Israel Concerned International Court Planning to Issue Arrest Warrants For Netanyahu
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's airstrikes on Gaza in response to the October 7 Hamas-led attacks on Israel have been the subject of fierce international debate.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is among top Israeli officials rumored to be facing arrest warrants over the country's actions in Gaza, RadarOnline.com has learned.
A flurry of media reports have surfaced suggesting the International Criminal Court is considering the citations against a handful of leaders from Israel as well as Hamas.
The New York Times spoke with two anonymous Israeli leaders who said they believed they could be named in the warrants along with Netanyahu and two other high-ranking officials from the country.
Netanyahu rejected a ceasefire deal that critics argue could have saved the hostages' lives.
The newspaper reported on Sunday that the court may accuse the individuals of "preventing the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and pursuing an excessively harsh response to the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks on Israel."
The nature of the potential charges against Hamas were not clear.
The Israeli sources expressed concern about political fallout from the citations, which they said were already shaping decisions being made in Gaza.
Israel has faced increased scrutiny over recent attacks in Gaza targeting Hamas.
Netanyahu, however, said in an X post on Friday that the ICC "will not affect Israel's actions," and that "Israel will never accept any attempt by the ICC to undermine its inherent right of self-defense."
"The threat to seize the soldiers and officials of the Middle East’s only democracy and the world’s only Jewish state is outrageous. We will not bow to it," the prime minister continued.
"Israel will continue to wage to victory our just war against genocidal terrorists and we will never stop defending ourselves."
The timing of the unconfirmed warrants also remains unknown, but they would need to be approved by a panel of judges and may not result in trials or immediate arrests.
The ICC's chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, has said previously that the court was investigating the conflict but declined to comment for the Times article because he said his office does not “respond to speculation in media reports.”
The Washington Post and Times of Israel have also reported in recent days that the court was considering the citations against Israel's political and military leaders.
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A local TV news report in Israel said the country's officials held an "emergency discussion" as they had grown increasingly concerned about the possibilty of the arrest warrants against Netanyahu and others for alleged violations of international law.
The ICC is based in The Hague and is the only international court that has the power to prosecute people for war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity. The country's 124 members include most European countries but not Israel nor the United States.
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President Joe Biden has been unwavering in his support of Israel, but called the country's operations in Gaza "over the top."
Israel's actions in Gaza have drawn international scrutiny as protests erupt on college campuses throughout the country.
President Joe Biden has been unwavering in his support of Israel, but called the country's operations in Gaza targeting Hamas "over the top."
During a call with Netanyahu earlier this month, Biden demanded a ceasefire in Gaza after seven food aid workers were killed in Israeli airstrikes.
While the country has been criticized for its efforts to free its hostages, the Washington Post noted that Israel's civilian-to-combatant casualty ratio "compares favorably with other urban conflicts."
Israel has gone to great lengths to spare civilians, despite attempts by Hamas to thwart the country's humanitarian aid efforts.