Netanyahu says his arrest warrant is a 'political shield'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan of using the court’s arrest warrant against him as a “political shield,” to deflect attention from allegations of misconduct against the prosecutor.Netanyahu argued the case was intended to divert attention from allegations of misconduct against Khan. “It was precisely as these allegations emerged that he canceled his planned visit to Israel, abandoned his previous commitment to thoroughly examine Israel’s independent judicial system, and suddenly moved to pursue arrest warrants against me and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant,” Netanyahu wrote on X.

Netanyahu further alleged that Khan pursued the warrants for personal and political reasons rather than based on the merits of the case. “He did so to divert attention from the allegations against him and to rally Israel’s enemies around him as a political shield,” Netanyahu said.

The ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity related to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza following Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack. The court simultaneously issued a warrant for Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif.