Netanyahu to seek appeal for ICC arrest warrant

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told the International Criminal Court that he will appeal the arrest warrants issued against him and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, Reuters reports. 

The office of Netanyahu has said that Israel has requested the ICC suspend the arrest warrant pending the appeal. 

The International Criminal Court issued the arrest warrants last week for “crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024.”

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The Chamber also released an arrest warrant against Hamas leader, Mohammed Deif, who Israel maintains was killed in an IDF air strike earlier in the year. 

The ICC has stated there are reasonable grounds to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant were ‘co-perpetrators’ in using ‘starvation as a method of warfare’ and ‘the war crime’ of attacking a civilian population with intent.  

“The State of Israel denies the authority of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague and the legitimacy of the arrest warrants,” a statement from Netanyahu’s office read.

Multiple governments that stand as signatories to the ICC have appeared unsure whether they would arrest Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant if they were to enter their territories.

In a statement last week, the Israeli prime minister vehemently rejected the warrants, labelling them as ‘absurd’ and ‘anti-Semitic.’

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