Could Trump’s Victory Spur ICC to Quickly Issue Arrest Warrant Against Netanyahu?

Returning U.S. President Took Harsh Measures Against the Hague Court in 2020; Biden Reversed Them

Karim Khan, Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, announced in May that he would seek arrest warrants against Netanyahu, his since-fired defense minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders — all of whom have since been killed — on war crimes charges.

Donald Trump’s electoral victory this week raises a number of questions for Israeli leaders about the effect it will have on ongoing wars in Gaza, Lebanon and beyond.

But it also brings up a more immediate issue. Will the return of Trump — a bitter critic of the International Criminal Court — spur The Hague-based court to hurry to issue arrest warrants against Israeli leaders before the Republican is back in the White House in January?

In May, ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan announced that he would seek arrest warrants against Netanyahu, his since-fired defense minister Yoav Gallant and three Hamas leaders — all of whom have since been killed — on war crimes charges.

Khan accused Netanyahu and Gallant of targeting civilians in Gaza and using starvation as a weapon of war — charges Israel rejects. He accused the Hamas leaders of crimes against humanity during the war and the assault that sparked it on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel to kill nearly 1,200 people and take 251 hostages.

Read the full article at the Times of Israel.

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Lazar Berman

Lazar Berman is the diplomatic correspondent at the Times of Israel, where he also covers Christian Affairs. He holds an M.A. in Security Studies from Georgetown University and taught at Salahuddin University in Iraqi Kurdistan. Berman is a reserve captain in the IDF’s Commando Brigade and served in a Bedouin unit during his active service.