Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced on Thursday International Criminal Court arrest warrants against him and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant as “false charges” and a “travesty of justice,” claiming they were driven by the court’s chief prosecutor seeking to deflect attention from a sexual misconduct allegation involving one of his staffers.
In a video statement, Netanyahu recounted that ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan had initially planned to visit Israel to investigate allegations of war crimes firsthand. Before the visit, Khan publicly praised Israel’s independent judicial system for investigating such allegations. On the day of his planned arrival, however, Khan abruptly canceled the trip and issued arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant.
Netanyahu suggested that Khan’s sudden change of plans was linked to allegations of rape and sexual assault made by a female staffer shortly before the visit. The prime minister claimed Khan feared the allegations would damage his career and sought to divert attention by targeting Israel with false war crimes charges. Netanyahu also referenced Khan’s younger brother, a former British MP imprisoned for sexual assault and noted that additional accusations against Khan have since emerged.
“His plan is simple: scapegoat Israel, rally the anti-Israel mob and thereby escape justice,” Netanyahu said. He called for the arrest warrants to be revoked immediately “for justice and for truth to prevail.”
Netanyahu defended Israel’s military operations in Gaza, saying the country has allowed more than two million tons of aid into the territory — roughly one ton per resident — and has sent millions of texts and phone messages urging civilians to leave combat zones. He accused Hamas of using Palestinian civilians as human shields and targeting those attempting to flee, calling it a war crime.
The prime minister also praised actions taken by the United States, including sanctions imposed by President Donald Trump and Secretary Marco Rubio against Khan and other ICC officials. “If Israel is prevented from fighting terrorism, no democracy is safe,” he said.