**Israel to Appeal ICC Warrants for Netanyahu and Galant**
The Israeli government has announced that it will appeal the International Criminal Court‘s (ICC) warrants of arrest for former defence minister Yoav Galant and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Last week, judges at the ICC issued warrants for the two men and Hamas commander Mohammed Deif. They said there were reasonable grounds to believe the three men were criminally responsible for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza.
Israel’s government has strongly rejected the allegations. The Prime Minister’s Office said it had informed the ICC of its intention to appeal the decision and request a delay in implementing the arrest orders.
**US Support for Israel**
The US has come out in support of Israel, with President Joe Biden calling the ICC’s warrants “outrageous”. Senator Lindsey Graham updated Netanyahu on efforts to combat the ICC and countries that have cooperated with it.
Some European Union nations, including France and Germany, have stated that they will respect the ICC’s ruling. However, others, such as the UK, have said they may arrest Netanyahu if he enters their territory.
**France’s Response**
The French government has taken a different stance, saying that Netanyahu could be immune from arrest because Israel is not a member state of the ICC. This view was criticized by rights groups, who claimed it was a reaction to political pressure to keep good relations with Israel.
“No one is immune from an ICC warrant of arrest because they are in office,” said Andrew Stroehlein from Human Rights Watch.
**Background to the Case**
The ICC case against Netanyahu, Galant, and Deif is based on an attack by Hamas gunmen on Israel in October 2023. The attack killed about 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage.
Israel responded with an offensive to eliminate Hamas, which resulted in the deaths of at least 44,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Hamas health ministry.
The ICC judges found reasonable grounds for believing that Netanyahu and Galant were criminally responsible for various crimes, including starvation as a war crime and crimes against humanity.
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