The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, has requested the dismissal of Israel's appeal against arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, arguing that the appeal does not meet the criteria for direct appeal under the Rome Statute.
Khan argues that the decision in question is procedural and does not directly address the court's jurisdiction, making it non-appealable under the Rome Statute. He stated that the decision pertains to the timing and verification of Israel’s appeal, not the court’s authority. "The pretrial chamber is the appropriate forum to address this issue," he noted.
The prosecutor has asked to dismiss Israel’s appeal and its request to suspend the arrest warrants issued by the pretrial chamber due to procedural inadmissibility.
On Wednesday, Israel submitted two documents to the ICC’s appeals chamber in response to the arrest warrants. As first reported by Ynet, Prime Minister Netanyahu decided at the last moment to inform the court of Israel's intention to appeal.
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In the first 14-page document, Israel rejects the pretrial chamber’s claim about its authority to issue the arrest warrants. In the second 13-page document, Israel dismisses the court’s refusal to return the investigation to Israel.
Israel is asking the appeals chamber to suspend the arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant, hoping the ICC will reconsider its stance before facing "hellish sanctions," as promised by those close to elected U.S. President Donald Trump.