The United States and Israel have condemned the International Criminal Court's (ICC) recent request for arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The warrants have sparked a storm of criticism from top Israeli officials and the U.S. President.
Outrage from Israeli Leadership
Prime Minister Netanyahu slammed the ICC's requests as "absurd" and "an attack on all of Israel."
In a statement, he accused the court of anti-Semitism and reaffirmed Israel's commitment to its ongoing conflict with Hamas. Netanyahu emphasized, "We will continue our fight against the terrorist militia Hamas."
Israel's Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, echoed Netanyahu's sentiments, labeling the ICC's decision as "scandalous" and a direct affront to the victims of the October 7 attacks and the hostages in Gaza.
Katz's strong words were mirrored by other key Israeli figures, including President Itzchak Herzog and opposition leader Jair Lapid, who described the court's actions as "outrageous and morally wrong."
US President Biden's Response
The criticism was not confined to Israeli officials.
According to Tagesschau, US President Joe Biden also voiced strong opposition to the ICC's chief prosecutor, Karim Khan. Biden called the prosecutor's actions "outrageous."
"The United States will continue to stand with Israel," the US president stated.
The German Foreign Office also weighed in, arguing that the simultaneous applications for arrest warrants against both Hamas leaders and Israeli officials create a misleading impression of equivalency.
Netanyahu and Gallant are accused of starving civilians and targeting civilians, while Hamas leaders are accused of murder, hostage-taking, and torture.
