Israeli officials revealed that diplomatic pressure is being exerted behind the scenes on the International Court of Justice to prevent the issuance of arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The newspaper "Haaretz" reported that the panel of judges discussed opinions submitted by several countries and international organizations in response to the prosecutor's request to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant. However, in Israel, it remains unclear whether the session will continue for days, weeks, or months.
Officials in Israel, along with legal experts monitoring the case, told the newspaper that diplomatic pressures are being applied behind the scenes on the court to prevent the issuance of arrest warrants in the near future. However, they find it difficult to predict the extent of the influence these pressures may have on the judges' decisions regarding the matter.
Three months ago, Karim Khan, the prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, requested the judges to issue arrest warrants. Following Khan's request, several countries and international organizations submitted legal opinions to the court concerning the arrest warrants. Now, the judges must review the request and the opinions to reach a decision on the case.
Among the key issues stemming from the legal opinions is the question of the Hague Court's jurisdiction to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the outset, which includes its authority to issue arrest warrants. Norway and Ireland submitted legal opinions that recognize the court's authority to handle the dispute, which caused significant outrage in Israel. Conversely, Germany provided an opinion that adopts the Israeli stance and casts doubt on the court's jurisdiction to discuss the conflict, despite the German government's criticism of Israel's actions regarding the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
