US President Joe Biden has condemned the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrants for senior Israeli leaders as “outrageous.” The ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. In response, Biden stated, “Whatever the ICC might imply, there is no equivalence — none — between Israel and Hamas,” emphasizing the US’s unwavering support for Israel’s security.
The White House also expressed its strong disapproval of the warrants, with a spokesperson from the National Security Council stating that the US “fundamentally rejects” the calls for arrests. The statement criticized the prosecutor’s rush to issue the warrants and raised concerns about errors in the process, asserting that the ICC does not have jurisdiction over this issue.
The statement from the White House did not address the arrest warrant issued for Mohammed Deif, the military chief of Hamas, who is also wanted by the ICC.
Mike Waltz, the incoming national security advisor under US President-elect Donald Trump, also voiced support for Israel, criticizing the ICC and promising a “strong response” to the body’s alleged antisemitic bias in January. He dismissed the ICC’s credibility and reiterated that the allegations against Israel had been refuted by the US government.
The ICC’s arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant relate to crimes allegedly committed between October 8, 2023, and May 20, 2024. A warrant was also issued for Deif, though Israel claims he was killed in a Gaza airstrike in July, a claim Hamas has not confirmed.
Neither the US nor Israel is a member of the ICC, and both countries have rejected its jurisdiction.
