Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has said Israel plans to appeal against the International Criminal Court’s recent decision to issue arrest warrants against him and his former defence minister over alleged crimes against humanity in Gaza.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) last week issued the arrest warrants, accusing Mr Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant of war crimes for actions during Israel’s war in Gaza.
The court said there was reasonable grounds to believe the two leaders bear responsibility for using “starvation as a method of warfare” by restricting humanitarian aid to Gaza and have intentionally targeted civilians.
Both men have condemned the decision and accused the court of anti-Israeli bias and undermining Israel’s right to self-defence.
Mr Netanyahu said he discussed the matter on Wednesday with Republican senator Lindsey Graham, who is leading an effort in the US Congress to impose sanctions against the court and countries co-operating with it.
Mr Netanyahu’s office said Israel also informed the ICC on Wednesday of “its intention to appeal to the court along with a demand to delay implementation of the arrest warrants”.
It said the appeal would argue the warrants lacked any “legal or factual basis”.
Israel and the US are not members of the ICC, and the court does not have jurisdiction to make arrests on Israeli territory.
But both men could be subject to arrest if they enter any of the court’s member states, which include allies such as the UK, France and Italy.
