Israel has filed an appeal against the decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The Prime Minister’s Office stated that the appeal thoroughly explains the “absurdity” of these warrants and highlights their lack of legal and factual basis. The Israeli statement added that if the appeal is rejected, it will further demonstrate the ICC’s “bias against Israel” to its allies in the United States and other countries.
Last week, the ICC accused Netanyahu and Gallant of war crimes and crimes against humanity in connection with Israel’s actions during the conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Israel has rejected these accusations, calling them “disgraceful” and “anti-Semitic.” The Israeli government has also requested a temporary suspension of the warrants until the appeal is reviewed.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Netanyahu would not be arrested on French territory. Under French law, sitting heads of state and ministers are granted diplomatic immunity.
The issuance of the warrants coincided with the establishment of a ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah. Israeli media reported that Israel conditioned France’s involvement in the ceasefire agreement on its refusal to enforce the arrest warrants.
