ICC Issues Arrest Warrant for Netanyahu

The International Criminal Court (icc) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes, Israeli media reported on Thursday.

• The warrants also include Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif, whom Israel has already killed.

Unprecedented: The ruling marks the first time the icc has issued arrest warrants against leaders of a democratic country. This means Netanyahu and Gallant could be arrested if they travel to any of the more than 120 countries that are part of the icc.

Provably false: The court claims Israel imposed “a total siege over Gaza.” In reality, Israel reopened and expanded border crossings damaged by Hamas on October 7 to allow more aid to get through. Israel has worked harder than any modern military to avoid civilian casualties. No other country has achieved such a low civilian causality rate for high-intensity urban warfare.

Israel Katz, Gallant’s replacement as defense minister, called it as “a moral disgrace, entirely tainted by anti-Semitism.”

International response: The foreign minister of the Netherlands, home to the icc, maintains that the country will “follow the instructions. If Netanyahu or Gallant land, they will be arrested.”

However, a Washington spokesperson said that the United States “fundamentally rejects” the court ruling and will continue to stand with Israel.

To learn more about where the shameful failure of international peacekeeping bodies will lead, read “Peacekeeping UNdone.”