World Court Considers Arrest Warrants For Israeli Officials Including Prime Minister: Report

International Criminal Court (ICC) might potentially issue arrest warrants for Israeli government officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister and other top military leaders, according to reports from Israeli media.

The warrant is learnt to be related to the Jewish state’s military operation in its offensive in Gaza against Hamas. The Court is at present investigating the war crimes in the Hamas’s October 7th attack in Israel and the subsequent Israel’s devastating military encroachment in Gaza. 

It is reported that Israeli officials are seriously concerned about the court procedures, and the Prime Minister recently stated that the ICC actions would not affect Israel’s actions but “would set a dangerous precedent.”

Responding to the reports of the potential arrest warrants, Israel Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Sunday asked the Israeli embassies to enhance their security claiming the risk of antisemitism. 

“We expect the court (ICC) to refrain from issuing arrest warrants against senior Israeli political and security officials,” Katz said. “We will not bow our heads or be deterred and will continue to fight,” he added

Notably, Israel is not a member of the ICC and therefore does not have its jurisdiction. But the court has in 2015 admitted Palestinian territories as an official member. 

The Hague-based court’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan also said that the court is investigating the war crimes committed by Hamas in Israel. 

What Happens When ICC Issues Warrants

With the world court’s arrest warrant, the individuals concerned would not be able to travel to the more than 120 countries that are members of the Court, NDTV reported citing  Matthew Gillet, a lecturer in international law at the University of Essex in England. The court can in some cases detain the accused.  Notably, Israel’s biggest ally, the United States is also not a member of the ICC. According to a comment by a White House spokesperson, the US does not support ICC’s investigation. 

The warrants, if issued, could make the engagement of Israel difficult with the member countries including some of the western nations.

After Hamas unleashed violence on October 7 last year, at least 1200 people including civilians were killed in Israel. The militant group also took more than 250 as hostages. The counter-offensive launched by Israel in Gaza has been killing civilians for the past seven months. More than 34,000 Palestinians have so far lost their lives in the Israeli offensive.