Israeli leaders from both the ruling coalition and opposition have strongly reacted to the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on war crimes charges related to Gaza.
While these immediate reactions dominate the news, Israel’s judicial authorities, military courts, and experts are carefully studying the decision, with growing concerns about its broader consequences.
The main concern among Israelis is that the court has determined the actions in Gaza were war crimes against humanity, including starvation, lack of medical care, and mass killings.
While Netanyahu and Gallant are seen as the key figures responsible, many others are involved. These include senior and junior military leaders, as well as soldiers who shared images on social media boasting about their actions against Palestinians.
Any of them could be arrested if complaints are made against them in other countries.
A growing network of global volunteers, including many Israeli Jews, is mobilizing against the war and its atrocities. These individuals have gathered detailed information on the officers involved, such as their identities, passport numbers, and travel plans.
This data is stored online, ready to be used if needed. They plan to use this information to push for the arrest of any officer traveling abroad.
This strategy has been tested three times in the past month. The first was in Belgium, where an Israeli-Belgian dual citizen involved in the Gaza conflict was investigated. Two weeks ago, a similar case occurred in Nicosia with an Israeli holding Cypriot citizenship.
Last week, an Israeli reserve officer was nearly arrested while on his honeymoon in Cyprus. This officer had boasted about his actions in Gaza and posted a photo saying, “We will burn Gaza to the ground.”
A Belgian organization tracked him and sought his arrest. The Israeli Mossad intervened, quickly having him deported before the arrest could happen.
In addition to these risks, Israeli officials are concerned about how the ICC ruling will affect Netanyahu’s leadership.
If the US accepts him, who else will? Which world leader will risk meeting him now? How can Netanyahu lead if he’s isolated internationally?
Experts have suggested that Israel may have to prepare for a future without Netanyahu, predicting the ICC ruling signals the beginning of the end of his leadership.
