(Dan Tri) – NBC News reported that the International Criminal Court (ICC) may issue an arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and top Israeli officials this week.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo: Getty).
American news agency NBC News on April 29 quoted an Israeli official saying that an ICC arrest warrant may be issued for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and other high-ranking military officers.
The official said that `Israel is working through diplomatic channels to try to prevent the issuance of an arrest warrant,` according to NBC.
According to Israeli media, Israeli Army Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi is among the military officials facing charges.
ICC does not confirm or deny the above information.
The ICC has opened an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by the Israeli military and Palestinian armed groups in the West Bank and Gaza since 2021. The investigation covers events since 2014. The court is located
According to Gaza health authorities, the death toll from Israeli airstrikes and ground attacks in the Gaza Strip has reached 34,388 people.
Israel’s Channel 12 reported last week that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government had received information about possible arrest warrants issued by the ICC.
Israel is worried that an arrest warrant will be issued by the ICC based on the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, when countries accuse Israel of violating international law and the Geneva Conventions.
Prime Minister Netanyahu announced on April 26 that `any intervention by the ICC will create a dangerous precedent.`
Israel is not a member of the ICC and does not recognize its jurisdiction.
The ICC, headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands, is the only permanent international court in the world with the power to prosecute individuals accused of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.
The ICC’s focus on individuals rather than states distinguishes it from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which resolves disputes between states.