Jerusalem (Israel) [Israel], November 28 (HBTV): The Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu has noted that the State of Israel denies both the authority of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the legitimacy of the arrest warrants that have been issued against him and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. 

The details were shared in a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter). In one post, it was noted that "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met today, at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, with US Senator Lindsey Graham, who updated him on the efforts that he is advancing in the US Congress against the ICC and countries that have cooperated with it."

Recently, the ICC in The Hague issued arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant, accusing them of "crimes against humanity and war crimes." The charges include allegations of targeting civilians and enforcing policies of starvation in Gaza.

In the posts, it was also stated, "Parallel to the efforts in Congress, Israel submitted an announcement to the ICC today regarding its intention to appeal to the court along with a demand to delay implementation of the arrest warrants." The Israeli PM's official account emphasized, "Israel's notice of appeal shows in detail to what degree the decision to issue the arrest warrants was baseless and without any factual or legal foundation whatsoever."

It observed, "Should the ICC reject the appeal, this will underscore to Israel's friends in the US and around the world how biased the ICC is against the State of Israel."

Earlier, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre expressed concerns over the ICC's decision in a press briefing, stating, "We fundamentally reject the court's decision to issue arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials." She criticized the prosecutor's haste in seeking the warrants and pointed out troubling process errors. Jean-Pierre reaffirmed, "We fundamentally reject that the ICC has jurisdiction over the situation, and so that's something that we've been pretty clear about and we'll continue to."

This statement came as the US continues to show support for Israel amid the ICC's charges against Israel's leaders.

(ANI)