will benjamin netanyahu be arrested international criminal court issued warrant

Amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant. The Chamber issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Galant on crimes against humanity and war crimes from October 8, 2023, to May 20, 2024, the day the prosecution filed the application for the arrest warrant.

The Chamber ruled on the two requests submitted by Israel on 26 September 2024. Israel challenged the Court’s jurisdiction on the basis of Article 19, over the status of the State of Palestine in general, and Israeli citizens in particular. In a second request, Israel requested that the Chamber order the Prosecutor to provide its authorities with a new notification of the initiation of an investigation under Article 18(1) of the Statute. Israel also requested the Chamber to pause any proceedings before the Court in the relevant situation, including the consideration of the application for arrest warrants for Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu and Mr. Yoav Galant, submitted by the prosecution on 20 May 2024.

As to the first challenge, the Chamber noted that acceptance of the Court’s jurisdiction by Israel is not required, as the Court can exercise its jurisdiction on the basis of the territorial jurisdiction of Palestine, as in the previous structure of the Pre-Trial Chamber. Was determined by. , Furthermore, the Chamber held that, in accordance with article 19(1) of the Statute, States are not entitled to challenge the Court’s jurisdiction under article 19(2) before issuing an arrest warrant. Thus Israel’s challenge is premature. This is without prejudice to possible future challenges to the Court’s jurisdiction and/or the admissibility of a particular case.