ICC Decision on Arrest Warrants For Israeli Officials Delayed By UK
The International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision over potential arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant will be delayed for weeks after the UK requested a review by the court on whether it has jurisdiction over Israeli citizens. | The request by the UK tracks closely with arguments made by the Israeli government that international agreements take precedence over the ICC. The Oslo Accords stipulated that the Palestinian Authority has no criminal jurisdiction over Israelis. Since the Palestinian Authority requested that the ICC open an investigation, Israel argues that it violated the agreement. The UK holds a special “friend of the court” status that enabled them to issue the request. Israel is unable to because it is not a member of the court.