ICC rejects request to cancel arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant

The ICC clarified that Zionist regime had submitted two separate requests: one seeking to cancel, withdraw, or nullify the arrest warrants, and another aiming to suspend the investigation being conducted by the Office of the Prosecutor into crimes committed in the Palestinian territories.

The Chamber stated that Zionist regime’s justifications, which were based on the claim that the Court lacks jurisdiction, did not meet the legal requirements stipulated in the Rome Statute.

It further noted that the suspension of an investigation under Article 19(7) requires a challenge by a state to the admissibility of the case, something Israel has not done, leading to the rejection of its requests both procedurally and substantively.

The ICC had ruled on February 5, 2021, that Palestine is considered a State Party to the Rome Statute and that its jurisdiction extends to all Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, including the West Bank and Gaza.

In March of the same year, the Office of the Prosecutor announced the opening of a formal investigation into crimes committed in the Palestinian territories. Zionist regime later objected to this in September 2024, but the Court reaffirmed its legal jurisdiction over the matter.

On November 21, 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant on charges of involvement in grave violations of international law against Palestinian civilians in Gaza, a move that sparked mixed international reactions ranging from praise to condemnation.