Netanyahu Condemns ICC’s Arrest Warrant Plan as “Disgusting” and ‘New Antisemitism’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the International Criminal Court’s intention to seek warrants against him and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, labelling the move as a form of “new antisemitism” that has migrated from US college campuses to The Hague.

In a video statement on Monday, Netanyahu questioned, “What chutzpah do you have to compare the monsters of Hamas to the soldiers of the IDF, the most moral army in the world?”

He vehemently opposed any perceived comparison between Israeli forces and the Islamic terror group, as reported by the Times of Israel.

Netanyahu continued his strong rebuke, stating, “With what audacity do you compare between Hamas that murdered, burned, butchered, raped, and kidnapped our brothers and sisters, and the IDF soldiers who are fighting a just war that is unparalleled, with unmatched morality?”

The Prime Minister criticized ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan’s request as a “distortion of reality” and an example of “new antisemitism” that has spread from US college campuses to the ICC.

In recent months, antisemitic sentiment has surged on American university campuses, with some student demonstrators directly aligning themselves with Hamas or calling for the destruction of Israel.

Earlier on Monday, the ICC announced its pursuit of arrest warrants for alleged war crimes committed by Netanyahu and Gallant, alongside three top Hamas officials, regarding the war in Gaza.

The charges against the Hamas leaders include extermination, murder, torture, rape, and taking hostages—war crimes and crimes against humanity. Meanwhile, Israel is accused of “willful killing,” “starvation of civilians as a method of warfare,” and “willfully causing great suffering” in its conflict with Hamas.

ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan emphasized the seriousness of the allegations, stating, “My office submits that the war crimes alleged in these applications were committed in the context of an international armed conflict between Israel and Palestine, and a non-international armed conflict between Israel and Hamas (together with other Palestinian Armed Groups) running in parallel.”

Khan described witnessing the “devastating scenes” and the “unconscionable crimes” committed, demanding accountability for these actions.

While no warrants have been issued yet, Khan’s announcement made clear his intention to seek them from the ICC.

The ICC is engaging a panel of international legal experts, including Lebanese-British human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, to explore the legal grounds for charges against the architects of the war. The panel unanimously agreed that the ICC had jurisdiction and that charges were warranted.

The ICC, based in The Hague, Netherlands, can charge individuals with war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. However, Israel disputes the ICC’s jurisdiction as it is not a member of the organization. A panel of ICC judges will review the prosecutors’ applications for the warrants.