President Isaac Herzog denounced the Hague-based court’s actions, characterizing the justice system as a “human shield for Hamas’ crimes.”
High-ranking Israeli officials condemned the International Criminal Court (ICC) for issuing arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant, alleging anti-Semitism and bias towards terrorists.
On Thursday, the ICC indicted the pair on charges of “crimes against humanity” stemming from Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
President Herzog deemed the decision “outrageous,” asserting that “it mocks the sacrifices of those who fight for justice – from the Allied victory over the Nazis to the present day.”
Herzog declared on X that the ICC “has sided with terror and evil over democracy and freedom, effectively shielding Hamas’ crimes against humanity.”
Israel’s National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, contended that the Hague-based institution had “once again demonstrated its inherent anti-Semitism.”
“The response to these warrants is to assert sovereignty over all territories of Judea and Samaria, expand settlements throughout the country, sever ties with the Palestinian Authority, and impose sanctions,” Ben Gvir posted on X.
Settlements and National Projects Minister Orit Strock went further, calling the ICC “the successor of the court of Sodom,” a Biblically wicked city. “I urge the nations of the free world to withdraw in disgust before they are tainted by this terrible stain,” Strock stated.
The speaker of the Israeli parliament, Amir Ohana, maintained that Hamas alone committed crimes against humanity during the conflict.
“The ICC has politicized its mandate, becoming a tool for terrorists and those seeking to delegitimize Israel’s right to exist and defend its citizens from genocidal terror,” Ohana stated, as reported by the Times of Israel.
Simultaneously, the court issued an arrest warrant for Hamas military commander Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri, or ‘Deif’, for alleged war crimes. Israel claims to have killed him in an airstrike earlier this year.
Israel launched its military operation in Gaza following a Hamas cross-border incursion on October 7, 2023, which resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and 250 hostages. At least 101 hostages remain unaccounted for. Gaza’s health ministry reports over 44,056 Palestinian deaths and over 104,000 injuries from Israeli attacks.
UN figures indicate that at least 1.9 million Palestinians in Gaza – roughly 90% of the population – have been internally displaced due to the conflict, many repeatedly relocating.
Israel is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, the treaty establishing the ICC. However, the two Israeli politicians could face arrest in any of the 124 countries that recognize the court’s jurisdiction.