ICC Rejects Israel’s Appeal Against Arrest Warrants

THE HAGUE — The International Criminal Court (ICC) has rejected Israel’s appeal against arrest warrants issued for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes committed during the Gaza conflict.

The ICC had earlier found “reasonable grounds” to believe that both leaders bore “criminal responsibility” for war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the Gaza war. The court’s decision in November caused international outcry, particularly in Israel and the United States.

The ICC had issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, alongside three top leaders of the Palestinian militant group Hamas. However, the warrants for Hamas leaders were later dropped after their deaths.

The Israelis expressed outrage at the warrants. Netanyahu called the decision “anti-Semitic,” while US President Joe Biden at the time condemned it as “outrageous.” In response, the United States imposed sanctions on senior ICC officials.

In May, Israel asked the ICC to dismiss the warrants and challenged the court’s jurisdiction in the case. The ICC rejected this request in July, stating that there was “no legal basis” to quash the warrants while the jurisdictional challenge was still under review.

Israel then sought to appeal the July decision, but the ICC judges ruled on Friday that the issue raised by Israel was not “appealable.” The court rejected Israel’s request for further appeal in a 13-page ruling.

The judges are still considering Israel’s broader challenge regarding the ICC’s jurisdiction, though a ruling on that matter has yet to be issued.