Israel condemned the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor’s application for an arrest warrant against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “historical disgrace.”
The ICC prosecutor, Karim Khan, has sought arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and top Hamas leaders on suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz criticized Khan for equating Israel’s leaders with Hamas, calling it a disgraceful comparison that would be remembered in history. Katz condemned the charges, which include “willful killing,” “extermination and/or murder,” and “starvation,” as scandalous and an affront to the victims of the October 7 Hamas attack that ignited the Gaza conflict.
Katz announced Israel’s plans to form a special committee to combat the ICC’s actions and to launch a diplomatic campaign against the prosecutor’s decision. He intends to engage with foreign ministers globally to oppose the ICC’s move and to ensure that any issued orders will not be enforced against Israeli leaders.
