The White House on Thursday condemned the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) issuing of arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant, saying that it "fundamentally rejects the Court’s decision."
U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby added that: “We remain deeply concerned by the prosecutor’s rush to seek arrest warrants and the troubling process errors that led to this decision." He said the U.S. will discuss its next steps with its partners.
Earlier, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s chosen national security advisor Michael Waltz criticized the ICC, saying that it lacked credibility. "These allegations have been refuted by the U.S. government," he added.
Waltz, whom Trump intends to appoint as his advisor upon taking office, added that “Israel has lawfully defended its people and borders from genocidal terrorists. You can expect a strong response to the antisemitic bias of the ICC & UN come January."
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, representing South Carolina, also condemned the ICC’s decision, saying that the " International Corrupt Criminal Court has acted in the most absurd and irresponsible manner possible by issuing arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant while there's a serious cloud of allegations hanging out over the prosecutor who sought these warrants.”
"If we do not act forcefully against the ICC after their outrageous decision to issue arrest warrants for the duly elected Israeli Prime Minister and former Minister of Defense, we are making a huge mistake, and I fear the United States is next,” he added.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, International Criminal Court
(Photo: REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo, חיים גולדברג פלאש90)
The immediate implication of the warrants means that Netanyahu and Gallant are effectively confined to Israel – they can't travel abroad, especially not to any of the 124 ICC member states, which include most European, African and South American countries.
While Netanyahu and Gallant could potentially visit these nations, it would require convincing them not to enforce the warrants. In practice, this means Netanyahu is becoming an "ostracized" leader.
However, the U.S. isn't a member of the ICC and hasn't signed the Rome Statute that governs it, so Netanyahu wouldn't face travel issues there. Nevertheless, logistical challenges could arise regarding flight routes, as some countries might bar Israel’s state aircraft from passage through their airspace.
Graham also called for an independent investigation into the prosecutor's misconduct, saying that issuing a warrant based on such work undermines any sense of fairness and the rule of law.
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