Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that any ruling from the ICC/ICJ (International Court of Justice) would not affect Israel or its actions in Gaza.
In a post on X, he said, "Under my leadership, Israel will never accept any attempt by the ICC to undermine its inherent right of self-defense. The threat to seize soldiers and officials of the Middle East’s only democracy and the world’s only Jewish state is outrageous. We will not bow to it."
Netanyahu’s statement comes after reports emerged that the ICJ may pursue legal actions against Israel, including international arrest warrants against senior Israeli officials, including the prime minister himself, due to Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Pertinently, Israel stands accused of genocide in Gaza at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Israel to cease genocidal acts and take measures to ensure humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza. However, Israel continued its War killing more than 34,400 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring 77,400 others.
According to a report in the Maariv newspaper, Netanyahu is "afraid and worried" about the possibility of an arrest warrant by the ICC in The Hague.
The report stated that Netanyahu made telephone calls to international leaders and officials in recent days, especially to US President Joe Biden, to prevent the issuance of an arrest warrant.
The report also mentioned that a session was recently held in Netanyahu’s office, attended by Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, Minister of Justice Yariv Levin, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Israel Katz, along with senior legal professionals.