The US is involved in a diplomatic effort to prevent the International Criminal Court (ICC) from issuing an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to Hebrew media reports.
Haaretz analyst Amos Harel said on 28 April that Washington is “already” engaged in efforts to block the ICC warrant against Netanyahu.
The prime minister is reportedly in a state of extreme anxiety over the matter.
Israeli journalist Ben Caspit wrote that Netanyahu is “under unusual stress” over the possibility of an arrest warrant being issued against him by the UN tribunal at the Hague, adding that he is leading a “nonstop push over the telephone” to prevent it.
Both Washington and Tel Aviv are not among the 124 states that signed the ICC Rome Statute of 1998, which established genocide as one of four major international crimes, along with war crimes, crimes against humanity, and crimes of aggression.
Hebrew newspaper Maariv newspaper also reported that Netanyahu is fearful of the prospect of an ICC warrant against him.
Sources close to the matter told the newspaper that Netanyahu has made an extensive number of phone calls to international leaders and officials, particularly US President Joe Biden, in an attempt to prevent the issuance of an arrest warrant against him and that the Israeli prime minister is indirectly trying to pressure Biden to act against the ICC.
“Netanyahu realizes that the international arrest warrant could make him subject to prosecution and detainment, so he attempts to thwart its issuance daily,” the sources said.
The sources also did not rule out the possibility that the recent shift in the Israeli position regarding a prisoner exchange and ceasefire deal, which now appears to be in favor of an agreement, is part of efforts to avoid the ICC warrant.
The ICC could also issue warrants to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Israeli Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, according to the report.
“We will never stop defending ourselves. Whereas decisions of the court in the Hague will not affect Israel’s actions, they would be a dangerous precedent threatening the soldiers and officials of any democracy fighting criminal terrorism and aggression,” Netanyahu said on 26 April.
Earlier this month, it was reported that arrest warrants could be issued against top Israeli officials, including Netanyahu, prompting an emergency meeting at the prime minister's office on 16 April.
Israel has been accused of genocide by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
An interim ruling at the start of the year determined that Israel was plausibly guilty of the crime of genocide and ordered it to stop genocidal acts during its war on Gaza and take measures to guarantee the efficient provision of humanitarian aid to the strip.
