The ICC has shaken Israels political landscape by issuing arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant (which surprised many people in tel-aviv)
In a twist of events‚ the warrants came just before Netanyahus long-delayed corruption trial testimony – scheduled for early dec 2024. The domestic case which started bout 4 years ago includes charges of bribery and fraud; Netanyahu denies any wrong-doing
The ICC decision‚ rather than weakening Netanyahus position has actually brought israelis together: “People get really annoyed if they think the world is against them“ – explains dr Yonatan Freeman from hebrew university. The effect might be opposite to what some expected
The situation creates travel problems for Netanyahu who cant visit 124 countries that signed ICC agreement; however he can still go to usa. Mike Waltz‚ trumps security advisor pick wrote on social media:
You can expect a strong response to the antisemitic bias of the ICC & UN come January
The warrants might affect peace talks too. Ofir Akunis‚ ny consul general thinks:
- Less chance for quick lebanon ceasefire
- Harder hostage negotiations with hamas
- Higher demands from opposing groups
This legal mess started after oct 7 attack (bout year ago) which killed 1200 people. Netanyahu refused to create independent investigation commission – choosing political inquiry instead which some think pushed ICC to act