Israel has asked judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) to drop arrest warrants issued against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Reuters reported, BTA reports.
According to documents published on the ICC website, Israel is also demanding that the court order the prosecutor's office to stop its investigation into alleged crimes committed in the Palestinian territories. The documents are dated May 9 and signed by Israel's deputy attorney general, Gilad Noam.
The arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant and the leader of „Hamas“ Ibrahim al-Masri (also known as Mohammed Deif) was indicted on November 21 by the court in The Hague on suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
In February, the ICC lifted the arrest warrant for al-Masri following reports of his death.
Israel, which does not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, categorically denies the war crimes charges. It disputes the legitimacy of the arrest warrants and is demanding that they be reviewed.
In April, the ICC Appeals Chamber ruled that the Pre-Trial Chamber should review Israel's objections to the court's jurisdiction and the validity of the arrests. It is currently unclear what form and timing this review will take, as well as a decision on Israel's request to suspend the investigation.