The Pentagon said it rejects the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday.
Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters during a press briefing on Thursday that the U.S. “fundamentally rejects” the ICC’s decision to issue the arrest warrants.
“We remain concerned by the prosecutor’s rush to seek arrest warrants, and, you know, some of the processes that have played out,” Singh said. “And again, we’ve been very clear that the ICC does not have jurisdiction over this matter.”
The ICC charged Netanyahu and Gallant with “crimes against humanity and war crimes,” including the use of starvation as a method of warfare and targeting civilians.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, speaks to now former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, left, at the opening of the 25th Knesset session marking the anniversary of the “Iron Swords” war, in Jerusalem, Oct. 28. (Debbie Hill/Pool Photo via AP)
President Biden blasted the court’s decision to issue arrest warrants against the two senior Israeli officials.
“The ICC issuance of arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is outrageous,” Biden said. “Let me be clear once again: whatever the ICC might imply, there is no equivalence – none – between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog condemned the court’s actions in a statement on Thursday.
ICC REJECTS ISRAELI APPEALS, ISSUES ARREST WARRANTS FOR BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, YOAV GALLANT
People survey a building destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Nov. 14. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
“Taken in bad faith, the outrageous decision at the ICC has turned universal justice into a universal laughingstock,” Herzog wrote. “It makes a mockery of the sacrifice of all those who fight for justice – from the Allied victory over the Nazis till today.”
Herzog argued that the ICC’s decision ignores Hamas’ use of human shields and its Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks that started the war, as well as the Israeli hostages remaining in Gaza.
Israel made several efforts to block the ICC from approving the arrest warrants. They first argued that the ICC has no jurisdiction over Israel, but the court said it could issue the arrest warrants as part of the “territorial jurisdiction of Palestine.”
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, in New York City, Sept. 27. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Israel also made other procedural challenges, but they were rejected.
The ICC’s move comes just days after Senate Majority Leader-elect John Thune threatened to hit the court with sanctions if it moved forward with the arrest warrants.
The U.S. does not officially recognize the ICC’s authority, but it is not the first time Washington has looked to halt the court’s actions.
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In 2020, the Trump administration opposed attempts by the ICC to investigate U.S. soldiers and the CIA involved in alleged war crimes between 2003-2004 “in secret detention facilities in Afghanistan,” and issued sanctions against ICC prosecutors.
Biden’s administration undid those sanctions shortly after entering office.
Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
