At a press conference on November 19, Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated he had been informed that the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague had requested an arrest warrant against him. Smotrich did not specify who conveyed this information to him the previous evening. The ICC process for requesting arrest warrants is typically kept confidential.
Smotrich described the arrest warrants for Israeli officials as “a declaration of war” and added, “In response to a declaration of war, we will fight back decisively.” He also attacked “the terrorist organization wrongly called the Palestinian Authority,” reflecting the Israeli government’s anger over what it sees as Palestinian support for international legal actions related to Israel’s military operations in Gaza.
Smotrich announced a counterattack following the news of the arrest warrant, stating he would “sign the order to evacuate Khan al-Ahmar,” forcing the displacement of the Palestinian community from this village in the occupied West Bank. The village has been involved in a lengthy legal battle with Israeli authorities for its survival.
In November 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for “crimes against humanity and war crimes” during Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza. Judges and prosecutors at the ICC were later cut off by banks, credit card companies, and tech giants like Amazon due to sanctions imposed by the Trump administration. The court also issued arrest warrants for several Hamas leaders, who were subsequently eliminated in Israeli operations.
ICC accusations focus on Smotrich’s forced displacement orders against Palestinians, his support for moving Israeli settlers into occupied territory, and his statements that starving Palestinians in Gaza could be “justified and moral.” If the arrest warrant is approved, Smotrich would become the third Israeli official targeted by the court, following Netanyahu and Gallant.
The United Kingdom and four other countries last year imposed sanctions on Smotrich and another far-right Israeli minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, accusing them of repeatedly inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. Smotrich has called for the permanent conquest of Gaza and the re-establishment of Jewish settlements that Israel abandoned in 2005, positions that Prime Minister Netanyahu has rejected.
