Israel prepares for International Criminal Court arrest warrants for PM Benjamin Netanyahu, other leaders

Israel is bracing for a rise in anti-Semitic protests if the International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and other political and military leaders

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Picture: AFP

Israel has reportedly warned its embassies to prepare for a rise in anti-Semitic protests if the International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other political and military leaders.

Israeli Foreign Minister Isael Katz alerted embassies and Jewish organisations abroad to the risk of the warrants being issued as early as this week against Mr Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yoav Gantz and Israeli Defence Forces Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi, the Jerusalem Post reports.

ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan began investigating claims of war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank last year after five countries called for a probe in mid-November. The Israeli government has been working hard to prevent arrest warrants being issued. The Times of Israel reports that a focus of the allegations will be that Israel “deliberately starved Palestinians in Gaza.”

The Walla News site reports that Mr Netanyahu is leading a “nonstop push over the telephone” to prevent an arrest warrant in diplomatic discussions with members of the White House administration..

Mr Katz said the Israeli government “expect the [ICC] to prevent the issuance of arrest warrants against senior Israeli officials in the political and security echelons,” according to the Jerusalem Post.

“There is nothing more distorted than attempting to prevent Israel from defending itself against a murderous enemy openly calling for the destruction of the State of Israel.”

He also posted on X: Murderers like (Iranian Supreme Leader Ali) Khamenei, (Hezbollah leader Hassan( Nasrallah and (Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya) Sinwar are hoping for the International Criminal Court in The Hague to judge Israel. This is absurd”.

Murderers like @khamenei_ir, Nasrallah, and Sinwar are hoping for the International Criminal Court in The Hague to judge Israel. This is absurd.

— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) April 28, 2024

Meanwhile a senior Hamas official told AFP on Sunday that the Palestinian militant group had “no major issues” with the latest proposal from Israel and Egypt for a Gaza ceasefire.

“The atmosphere is positive unless there are new Israeli obstacles. There are no major issues in the observations and inquiries submitted by Hamas regarding the contents” of the proposal, said a Hamas official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

A Hamas delegation led by the movement’s senior leader, Khalil al-Hayya, would deliver the group’s response to the truce proposal during a meeting with Egyptian and Qatari mediators in Cairo on Monday, the official said.