Israeli media reported that the United States and Israel are working together to prevent the International Criminal Court from issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other high-ranking Israeli officials.

Haaretz newspaper reported that the Israeli government is working on the assumption that arrest warrants can be issued against Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Galant, and Israeli Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy as soon as this week.

The report said that the United States is already engaged in an attempt to prevent arrest warrants.

Walla reported that Netanyahu is “under extraordinary pressure” over potential arrest warrants and is leading a “sustained phone campaign” to prevent her from focusing on contacting the Biden administration.

In a statement on Friday, Netanyahu said the arrest warrant would not stop Israel’s mass slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza. “Under my leadership, Israel will never accept any attempt by the International Criminal Court in The Hague to undermine its fundamental right to defend itself,” he said.

He added: "Although the decisions taken by the court in The Hague will not affect Israel's actions, they will set a dangerous precedent that threatens soldiers and public figures."

It is noteworthy that neither the United States nor Israel are parties to the International Criminal Court, and the United States has a controversial history with the court. In 2002, former President George W. Bush signed a bill into law allowing the use of force to release any U.S. military service members or government officials brought before the International Criminal Court, which is headquartered in The Hague.

The controversial law, known as the American Service Members Protection Act, allows the United States to use “all necessary and appropriate means to release any American or allied personnel detained or imprisoned by, on behalf of, or at the request of the International Criminal Court.” It is called the Hague Law. To conquer.

The Trump administration imposed sanctions on International Criminal Court officials over their investigations into alleged US war crimes in Afghanistan. The Biden administration backed away from the sanctions but maintained pressure on the court, which has been acting since the International Criminal Court announced that it would “lower the priority” of its investigations into US forces in Afghanistan.

After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the Biden administration changed its position on the court and supported the arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, which was issued in 2023. But now that Israel is being targeted, the United States is likely to turn to its pressure. Tactics. Any criminal investigation against Netanyahu would also implicate President Biden because he provided so much support to the Israeli campaign in Gaza.

Israel is also facing pressure from the International Court of Justice, another court based in The Hague that rules it is "reasonable" for Israel to carry out genocide in Gaza, a ruling the United States has rejected. The main difference between the two courts is that the ICC prosecutes individuals while the International Court of Justice deals with disputes between countries.