The International Criminal Court on Sunday dismissed an Israeli report saying that it is planning to issue five arrest warrants against Israeli politicians and military generals over alleged “settler violence” in Judea and Samaria and government policy.
The ICC “denies the issuance of new arrest warrants in the situation in the state of Palestine,” Reuters quoted the court’s spokesperson Oriane Maillet as saying.
Hebrew-language newspaper Haaretz reported earlier on Sunday that the court, based in The Hague, is eyeing the issuance of “secret” arrest warrants against Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Settlements and National Missions Minister Orit Strook and two Israel Defense Forces officials, who were not named.
In 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in connection to the war against Hamas in Gaza, which was started by the terrorists’ invasion of southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
After U.S. President Donald Trump’s reelection, Washington slapped sanctions on Feb. 6, 2025, against four ICC judges for investigating U.S. citizens and U.S. allies.
The Haaretz report cited the American sanctions as the reason for the secret nature of the warrants’ supposed issuance by the ICC.
