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Israel today approached the International Criminal Court or ICC to appeal against its order to arrest Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu for "war crimes". In its appeal, Tel Aviv has asked the world court to suspend the arrest warrants against the prime minister and defence minister till the outcome of the appeal.
The world court had issued an arrest warrant against Benjamin Netanyahu, and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for "war crimes" in the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas. It had also issued a similar arrest warrant against Hamas's military head Mohammed Deif.
In a statement issued after the appeal to the world court, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office said, "The State of Israel challenges the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the legitimacy of the arrest warrants issued. If the court rejects this request, it will further demonstrate to Israel's friends in the United States and around the world how biased the International Criminal Court is against the State of Israel."
In an official statement the world court had stated that "The Chamber issued warrants of arrest for two individuals, Mr Benjamin Netanyahu and Mr Yoav Gallant, for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024, the day the Prosecution filed the applications for warrants of arrest."
The arrest warrants drew furious condemnation from Mr Netanyahu and other Israeli politicians. US and France have backed Mr Netanyahu and rejected the warrants, however, Western allies UK and Canada have said they will abide by it.
After the ruling, Prime Minister Netanyahu accused the world court at The Hague of "anti-Semitism" and vowed not to be deterred by it.