MBABANE: The Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs has informed government officials that, the International Criminal Court(ICC) is preparing to issue warrants of arrest over the war in Gaza, Aljazeera reported on Monday.
It has been reported that, after days of conjecture in Israeli media, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said late on Sunday that it has issued warnings to senior political and military officials that they could soon face arrest warrants.
The Ministry said it has informed Israeli missions of “rumours” concerning prosecutions.
But Aljazeera further reported that, the International Criminal Court(ICC) has given no indication that warrants are imminent and has made no comment on the claims.
Senior Israeli officials have demanded assurances from the ICC that Israel will not be targeted, suggesting any action might constitute “anti-Semitism”.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz pushed on Sunday for the ICC to waive any threat that it could target Israelis over the war, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians and pushed hundreds of thousands towards famine.
“We expect the court(ICC)to refrain from issuing arrest warrants against senior Israeli political and security officials,” Katz said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel 'will never accept any attempt by the ICC to undermine its inherent right of self-defence' [File: Ronen Zvulun/Reuters]