PM Netanyahu says ICC is ‘an enemy of humanity,’ calls its decision ‘a black day in the history of nations’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said that the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague has today become “the enemy of humanity.”

Referring to the court’s decision to issue arrest warrants against him and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant regarding Israel’s alleged “war crimes” against Palestinians in Gaza, Netanyahu declared, “This is a black day in the history of nations.”

“No outrageous anti-Israel decision will stop me from continuing to defend our country in every way. We will not succumb to pressure,” the prime minister promised in a video statement addressing the citizens of Israel. 

“This is an anti-Semitic decision that has one goal: to deter me, to deter us, from exercising our natural right of self-defense against the enemies who rose up to destroy us,” he added.  

Netanyahu slammed the accusations against him and Gallant as false, outrageous and “absurdity.” The ICC said there were “reasonable grounds” to believe that the two of them bear responsibility for “the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.”

In a separate statement that Netanyahu published in English, he lashed out at the court saying the decision was made by a “rogue prosecutor who is trying to extricate himself from sexual harassment charges, and by biased judges who are motivated by antisemitic sentiments against the one and only Jewish state.” 

Countering the accusations leveled against him and the state, Netanyahu said, “We issue millions of text messages, phone calls, leaflets to the citizens of Gaza to get them out of harm's way – while the Hamas terrorists do everything in their power to keep them in harm’s way, including shooting them, using them as human shields.”

“The court in The Hague accuses us of a deliberate policy of starvation. This – when we have supplied Gaza with 700,000 tons of food to feed the people of Gaza. That’s 3,200 calories (per day) for every man, woman and child in Gaza… Yet, just in the last few weeks, Israel facilitated the vaccination of 97 percent of the people of Gaza against polio. This doesn’t prevent the court of accusing us of genocide.” 

“What in God’s name are they talking about in The Hague?” he asked. “The truth is simple. No war is more just than the war that Israel has been waging in Gaza after Hamas attacked us unprovoked, launching the worst massacre against the Jewish people since the Holocaust.”   

Netanyahu thanked Israel’s many friends around the world – especially those in the United States – who issued condemnations of the international court's legal move and vowed to administer “severe consequences” to the ICC and those who cooperate with its decision. 

U.S. President Joe Biden issued an assurance of support and commitment to stand with Israel.

“The ICC issuance of arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is outrageous. Let me be clear once again: whatever the ICC might imply, there is no equivalence – none – between Israel and Hamas.  We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security,” Biden said in the statement. 

Florida Rep. Mike Waltz, who was picked by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as his national security advisor, promised that come January, the new U.S. administration will take action against the ICC. 

“Israel has lawfully defended its people & borders from genocidal terrorists. You can expect a strong response to the antisemitic bias of the ICC & UN come January,” Waltz wrote on 𝕏. 

Sen. John Thune (R- SD) who will serve as the next Senate majority leader when the GOP takes control over the upper chamber, pledged, "If Majority Leader Schumer does not act, the Senate Republican majority will stand with our key ally Israel and make this – and other supportive legislation – a top priority in the next Congress."

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R- SC) has urged both the Biden and Trump administration, as well as the U.S. Congress, to act forcefully against the ICC. Graham warned that inaction would be a “huge mistake,” expressing fears that the United States “could be next.”

“Israel is not a member of the ICC nor is the United States. Israel has a very robust legal system and so does the United States. If we do not fight back against the ICC’s attack on Israel, it is as if we are conceding that they have jurisdiction over the United States. We cannot let the world believe for a moment that this is a legitimate exercise of jurisdiction by the Court against Israel because to do so means we could be next,” he wrote on 𝕏.

Graham said he will be introducing legislation that puts other countries on notice.

“If you aid and abet the ICC after their action against the State of Israel, you can expect consequences from the United States.”

Argentinian President Javier Milei also issued a statement expressing support for Israel and its right to defend itself.

“The Argentine Republic expresses its profound disagreement with the recent decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue arrest warrants against the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, and the former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant. This resolution ignores Israel's legitimate right to defend itself in the face of constant attacks by terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah,” Milei wrote on 𝕏.

Several countries, such as France, Belgium, Jordan, Canada and the Netherlands, have already announced they will act in accordance with the ICC's decision and enforce the arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant upon entry into their countries.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed the two Israeli leaders will be arrested if they step foot in the country, saying, “We will abide by all the regulations and rulings of the international court. That’s just who we are as Canadians.” 

Outgoing European Union Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell stated that the "decisions are binding on all states party to the Rome Statute, which includes all EU member states."

Nevertheless, some EU member states have expressed outrage over the decision and said they will have to take time to interpret the decision and consult with allies, like Italy.

Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said the ICC’s ruling was “utterly incomprehensible” and does a “disservice to the court’s credibility.” 

“It is absurd to create an equivalence between members of a democratically elected government and the leader of a terrorist organization,” he added. 

Hungary’s foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó described the ICC decision as “shameful and absurd.” He spoke on the phone with his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Sa'ar, assuring him that his country rejects the pollicization of the international court. 

Jordan’s foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, says the ICC’s decision must be respected and implemented by all 124 member states.