Israel informed the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday that it intends to appeal against the arrest warrants issued for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant.
The Israeli government also requested that the court suspend the warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant while the appeal is under consideration, according to a statement released by the prime minister’s office.
The ICC issued the warrants last week, accusing Netanyahu and Gallant of crimes against humanity and war crimes during Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza, which followed the Palestinian militant group’s attack on 7 October 2023.
The warrants were met with fierce condemnation from Netanyahu and other Israeli officials. The prime minister accused the ICC of anti-Semitism and vowed that Israel would not be deterred in its efforts to defend itself.
“The State of Israel challenges the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and rejects the legitimacy of the arrest warrants issued,” the statement from Netanyahu’s office read. “If the court dismisses this request, it will further highlight to Israel’s allies in the United States and around the world the ICC’s bias against the State of Israel,” the statement added.
The ICC has not made a specific comment on Israel’s appeal. “If appeals are submitted, it would be for the judges to decide,” ICC spokesman Fadi El-Abdallah said when asked about the matter.
The ICC has also issued an arrest warrant for Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif. Israel claimed in early August that it had killed Deif in an airstrike in southern Gaza in July, although Hamas has not confirmed his death.
On 21 November, the ICC stated it had found “reasonable grounds” to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant bore “criminal responsibility” for the war crime of using starvation as a method of warfare, along with crimes against humanity including murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.