Israel will appeal ICC arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant

 Israel will appeal the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said Wednesday.

“The State of Israel renounces the authority of the International Criminal Court and the legitimacy of the arrest warrants issued against the Prime Minister and former Minister of Defense,” it said in a statement.

The announcement came after Netanyahu met US Sen. Lindsey Graham in Jerusalem on Wednesday. Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, told Netanyahu he will promote measures in Congress against the ICC and countries that cooperate with it, the statement added.

“To the extent that the court rejects the appeal, this will further illustrate to Israel’s friends in the United States and the world how biased the International Criminal Court is against the State of Israel,” it added.

When the ICC issued the arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant and a senior Hamas official last week, it accused them of war crimes during and after the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel and Israeli offensive in Gaza that followed.