the International Criminal Court (ICC) rejected Israel’s appeal to cancel arrest warrants issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
In a decision that made global headlines, the ICC ruled in November that there were “reasonable grounds” to believe Netanyahu and Gallant bear “criminal responsibility” for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
The court had also issued arrest warrants for three senior Hamas leaders, but those were dropped following their deaths.
The warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant sparked outrage in Israel and the United States, which subsequently imposed sanctions on senior ICC officials. Netanyahu condemned the decision as “antisemitic,” while then-U.S. President Joe Biden called it “outrageous.”
Israel had requested the cancellation of the warrants in May, while the court was reviewing a separate challenge regarding its jurisdiction in the matter.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) rejected Israel's request on July 16, asserting that there was "no legal basis" to cancel the warrants until they resolved the jurisdictional issue. A week later, Israel sought to appeal the ruling, but on Friday, judges determined that “the case, as framed by Israel, is not subject to appeal.”