ICC Rejects ‘Israel’ Request to Cancel Netanyahu Arrest Warrant

By Staff, Agencies

The Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court [ICC] has rejected "Israel’s" request to cancel or suspend the arrest warrants issued for the entity’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and former War minister, Yoav Gallant.

In a press release on Thursday, the ICC said it accepted "Israel's" appeal for a reconsideration of the Court's jurisdiction over crimes committed in Palestinian territories. However, it added that this issue did not affect the situation of standing arrest warrants.

The issue of jurisdiction, the Chamber explained, concerns whether the ICC can prosecute individuals for alleged crimes committed in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

The Court emphasized that "Israel’s" acceptance of its jurisdiction is not a prerequisite for continuing investigations.

It said, “Investigations indicate that Netanyahu and Gallant oversaw attacks targeting the civilian population and used starvation as a method of warfare.”

In November 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants against Netanyahu and his former War minister, Yoav Gallant, for crimes against humanity and war crimes related to "Israel’s" ongoing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The ruling obliged all the 125 countries, which signed the Rome Statute establishing the ICC, to detain and surrender the pair to the Hague-based court.

Netanyahu traveled to Hungary, which is a member of the ICC, earlier this month. The ICC asked the Hungarian government to arrest him, but Budapest refused to comply with the request and promptly announced it was quitting the court.

ICC condemned Hungary for refusing to comply with its arrest warrant against Netanyahu.

The court’s spokesperson, Fadi El Abdallah, said that it is not for parties to the ICC “to unilaterally determine the soundness of the Court’s legal decisions.”

The spokesperson further stated that participating states must enforce the court’s decisions.