Israel has described as a "historic disgrace" the ICC prosecutor's request for an arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Prosecutor Kareem Khan filed a request for arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant, as well as senior Hamas leaders on suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity, AFP reported.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz said Khan "mentioned in the same breath Israel's prime minister and defense minister along with the hideous Nazi monsters of Hamas - a historic disgrace that will be remembered forever."
The prosecutor said he sought warrants against Netanyahu and Galant for crimes including "premeditated murder," "extermination and/or murder" and "starvation."
Katz condemned the move as an "outrageous decision" that amounts to a "frontal attack... against the victims of October 7" when Hamas launched its assault on Israel, sparking the Gaza war.
The minister added that Israel would set up a special committee to fight the ICC prosecutor's efforts to obtain an arrest warrant, as well as take diplomatic pressure against her.
Katz said he plans to "talk to the foreign ministers of the world's leading countries so that they will oppose the prosecutor's decision and announce that even if warrants are issued, they do not intend to enforce them against the leaders of the State of Israel." / BGNES
