Former defense minister Yoav Gallant is set to travel to Washington, D.C., next Sunday for talks with senior officials at the White House and U.S. State Department, marking his first visit since the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague issued an arrest warrant against him.
The trip comes after a turbulent period for Gallant, who was dismissed from his post by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a reshuffling of government roles. Netanyahu had previously barred Gallant from visiting the U.S., citing the need for better coordination with the Biden administration amid regional security threats, including preparations for Israel's retaliatory strike following Iran's October 1 ballistic missile attack.
Then-defense mInister Yoav Gallant meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a visit to the White House in October of this year
(Video: Shahar Yurman)
In early October, Gallant was scheduled for a quick visit to Washington to strengthen U.S.-Israel security coordination. However, Netanyahu postponed the trip, conditioning it on a phone call between himself and President Joe Biden. Shortly after, Netanyahu dismissed Gallant, appointing Israel Katz as the new defense minister. Shortly after his removal, Gallant reiterated his commitment to Israel's security in an X post, writing, "The security of the State of Israel has been and will always remain my life’s mission."
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The White House has criticized the ICC's decision to issue arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials, including Gallant. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby emphasized that the U.S. “fundamentally rejects” the court’s jurisdiction over Israel, saying, "We remain deeply concerned by the prosecutor’s rush to seek arrest warrants and the troubling process errors that led to this decision." The U.S. is not a member of the ICC and does not recognize its authority, ensuring Gallant faces no legal challenges while in the country.
However, concerns linger about potential complications if Gallant’s aircraft requires an emergency landing in a country that enforces the ICC’s jurisdiction. Such a scenario could expose him to legal risks under the arrest warrant.