The United States has criticized the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the country's former Defense Minister Yoav Galant. The country has 'fundamentally rejected' the warrant. The White House said this in a statement on Thursday (November 21). British news agency Reuters reported this news.
A spokesperson for the National Security Council said, “We are deeply concerned about the ICC prosecutor's hasty decision-making and the procedural flaws in the issuance of this warrant.” The US position is clear—the ICC has no jurisdiction over the matter.
The statement made no mention of the ICC warrant issued against Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif.
US President-elect Donald Trump's incoming national security adviser Mike Waltz has backed Israel, saying the anti-Semitic bias of the ICC and the United Nations will be dealt with harshly in January.
He also said on social media X, “The ICC has no credibility and these allegations have been rejected by the US government.
Anger among Republicans against the ICC's warrant is more widespread. Many have called for sanctions against the ICC in the US Senate.
Currently, 124 countries are members of the ICC, which are bound to implement the court's mandate. However, neither the United States nor Israel are members of the ICC, and both have rejected the court's jurisdiction.
The Hague-based court said on Thursday that warrants had been issued against Netanyahu and Gallant on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes. These crimes were committed between October 8, 2023 and May 20, 2024.
A warrant has also been issued against Hamas commander Mohammed Deif. Israel claims Deif was killed in an airstrike in Gaza in July. However, Hamas has not confirmed the news of his death.
