U.S. Decides to Issue Netanyahu Arrest Warrant "Fundamentally Rejects"

The U.S. government says it fundamentally rejects the ICC's decision to issue an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others on charges of committing war crimes in Gaza.

A White House National Security Council spokesperson said of the International Criminal Court's decision and noted that we remain deeply concerned about the ICC chief's rush to obtain arrest warrants and procedural errors.

The ICC is the world's first permanent war crimes tribunal established to punish individuals who commit genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, and is headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands.

The United States has signed the Treaty of Rome, which was the birthplace of the ICC, but has not ratified it on the grounds that its citizens sent abroad for peacekeeping, including the U.S. military, could be prosecuted for impure political motives.

The ICC says it has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Galant on charges related to the sacrifices of tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza.

In addition, he issued a warrant for the arrest of Muhammad Daif, the commander of Hamas' armed group, for killing more than 1,200 civilians and kidnapping more than 250 people in a surprise terrorist attack on Israel in October last year.