ICC Dismisses Israel’s Bid to Overturn Arrest Warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant
The International Criminal Court on Friday dismissed Israel’s attempt to appeal the arrest warrants issued for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes during Gaza War, according to AFP.
The court in November found that there were “reasonable grounds” to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant hold “criminal responsibility” for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Palestinian enclave.
Moreover, the ICC issued arrest warrants for three senior leaders of the Palestinian group Hamas.
However, the court later withdrew them following their deaths.
Netanyahu and Gallant’s arrest warrants sparked strong condemnation in Israel and the United States, leading Washington to impose sanctions on senior ICC officials.
Moreover, Netanyahu denounced the court’s move as an “anti-Semitic decision.”
Meanwhile, the then US president Joe Biden described it as “outrageous.”
In May, Israel submitted a request to the court to dismiss the warrants as it weighed a separate challenge questioning the ICC’s jurisdiction over the case.
In response, the ICC dismissed the request on July 16, stating there was “no legal basis” to suspend or overturn the warrants while the jurisdictional challenge remained pending.
Then, Israel, a week later, sought permission to appeal the decision, but the judges ruled that “the issue, as framed by Israel, is not an appealable issue.”
“The Chamber therefore rejects the request,” said the ICC in a complex, 13-page ruling.
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