Israel announced yesterday that it has formally challenged the International Criminal Court (ICC) over a request made by its prosecutor, Karim Khan, to issue arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
In a statement on the social media platform X, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein said, "Israel has today submitted its formal objection to the ICC’s jurisdiction and the legality of the prosecutor’s requests for arrest warrants for the Israeli Prime Minister and Defense Minister."
The request for the arrest warrants stems from allegations made in May by ICC prosecutor Khan, accusing Netanyahu and Gallant of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza during Israel’s ongoing conflict with Hamas, which has lasted for over 11 months.
In response, Marmorstein noted that Israel submitted two comprehensive legal opinions countering the prosecutor's actions.
Israeli officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that these documents were presented to the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber, which is responsible for determining whether to proceed with the prosecutor’s request—an evaluation process that could take years.
One of the legal briefs argues that the ICC lacks the necessary legal jurisdiction over this matter.
The second submission details alleged violations of the court’s statutes by the prosecutor, emphasizing that Israel was not allowed to conduct its investigations into the claims, as required under the principle of complementarity before the arrest warrant requests were pursued.
Follow the latest news on Google News
