Israel's Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara and State Attorney Amit Aisman denounced on Wednesday the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor’s decision to recommend the issuing of arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, according to Israeli media reports.
“The court lacks any authority to conduct an investigation into the matter,” the two said in a joint statement.
“The request of the ICC to issue arrest warrants against the prime minister and defense minister lacks basis,” they added.
A condemnation by US officials
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the ICC decision against Israeli leaders would complicate efforts for a deal to release the remaining 128 hostages in Gaza.
The decision was also condemned by eight US Senators from both major US parties, stating that “the application for arrest warrants also draws a false equivalence between Israel, with its longstanding commitment to the rule of law, and Hamas’s theocratic [and] autocratic, unaccountable rule over Gaza.”
The statement was signed by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), John Fetterman (D-PA), Jim Risch (R-ID), Katie Britt (R-AL), and John Thune (R-SD).
Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this report.