ICC ‘Ready to Freeze’ Arrest Warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant (Reuters)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant (Reuters)
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ICC ‘Ready to Freeze’ Arrest Warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant (Reuters)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant (Reuters)

Former Israeli Supreme Court president Aharon Barak said on Friday that the UN-backed International Criminal Court (ICC) is ready to freeze its arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant if a state commission of inquiry is formed to look into the October 7, 2023 events and the war that followed.
Barak represented Israel as an ad-hoc judge at the International Court of Justice for the genocide case that was brought against Netanyahu and Gallant by South Africa amid the war in Gaza.
In comments to several Hebrew media outlets, Barak said that a few days ago he addressed officials at the ICC and inquired about their position if a state commission of inquiry was formed in Israel.
The officials clearly said that in such a case, they will cancel their decision to arrest Netanyahu and Gallant and freeze the trial.
Barak, 89, said the Netanyahu-led government continues to undermine Israel's judicial system and harm its international status.
On November 21, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defense chief, as well as a Hamas leader, Ibrahim Al-Masri, also known as Mohammed Deif, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict.
ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan withdrew his request for warrants for two other senior Hamas figures, Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh, who have both since been killed.
The three arrest warrants were classified as “secret” to protect witnesses and to safeguard the conduct of investigations.
However, the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber decided to release the information due to the continuation of the war and likely violations of international law, in particular the fact that hostages continue to be held in Gaza.
“The Chamber considers it is also in the interest of victims and their families to be aware of the warrant’s existence,” the Court said.
Also, the chamber rejected Israel’s challenges to jurisdiction and warrants of arrest for Netanyahu and Gallant. It considered that the alleged conduct of Netanyahu and Gallant falls within the jurisdiction of the Court in the situation extended to Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
Netanyahu’s office described the ICC’s decision as “antisemitic.” Israel then urged what it called “nations of the civilized world” to refuse to implement any international criminal court arrest warrants.
The US rejected the ICC decision while Argentina and Hungary said they will not enforce the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant.

 



US Official Fired over Statement on ‘Forced Displacement’ of Gazans

21 August 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusairat: Palestinians hold placards reading "No to displacement" and "Gaza is dying" during a protest in Al-Nuseirat camp. Photo: Omar Ashtawy/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
21 August 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusairat: Palestinians hold placards reading "No to displacement" and "Gaza is dying" during a protest in Al-Nuseirat camp. Photo: Omar Ashtawy/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
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US Official Fired over Statement on ‘Forced Displacement’ of Gazans

21 August 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusairat: Palestinians hold placards reading "No to displacement" and "Gaza is dying" during a protest in Al-Nuseirat camp. Photo: Omar Ashtawy/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
21 August 2025, Palestinian Territories, Nusairat: Palestinians hold placards reading "No to displacement" and "Gaza is dying" during a protest in Al-Nuseirat camp. Photo: Omar Ashtawy/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

The US State Department fired its top press officer for Israeli-Palestinian affairs, Shahed Ghoreishi, following multiple disputes over how to characterize key Trump administration policies, including a controversial plan to relocate hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip that critics consider ethnic cleansing.

According to The Washington Post, Ghoreishi was fired on Monday.

His dismissal came just days after he drafted a statement for the department stating that the US does not support “forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza,” something that President Donald Trump and his special envoy Steve Witkoff have said repeatedly.

However, high-ranking State Department officials rejected Ghoreishi’s usage of the line.

US officials said the firing has sent a chilling message inside the department that deviations from pro-Israel language will not be tolerated, even when they align with past US policy, the Post reported.

State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott declined to discuss the details. “We do not comment on leaked emails or allegations,” he told the Post. “Federal employees should never put their personal political ideologies ahead of the duly elected president’s agenda.”

Ghoreishi told the Post he was given no explanation for his dismissal, which the State Department was not required to provide due to his contractor status.

“Despite a strong reputation and close working relationship with many of my colleagues, I was unable to survive these disputes,” he said, adding that the language he recommended had previously been cleared since Trump took office in January.

Another Dispute

The Post said Ghoreishi also recommended expressing condolences after the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif and several other journalists in Gaza City. Israel said al-Sharif was a Hamas member.

“We mourn the loss of journalists and express condolences to their families,” Ghoreishi proposed, but State Department leadership rejected the idea in an August 10 email, saying, “No response is needed. We can’t be sending out condolences if we are unsure of this individual’s actions.”

The Post also reported that David Milstein, a senior adviser to US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, was a key opponent of Ghoreishi.

Milstein frequently intervened in State Department matters to defend Israel, according to the Post.

Also, another dispute was reported between Ghoreishi and Milstein and involved the use of “Judea and Samaria” as opposed to “West Bank” in a statement.

Ghoreishi said he removed the term “Judea and Samaria” from a press statement about US House Speaker Mike Johnson’s visit and replaced it with the term “West Bank.”

Ghoreishi’s dismissal comes amid media reports saying Israeli officials are holding talks in South Sudan about the potential relocations of thousands of Gazans in the East African country.