An incoming Trump advisor hinted at possibly pulling the United States out of the International Criminal Court (ICC) following recently issued arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which he called "antisemitic."
In response to the arrest warrants being issued, Florida Rep. Mike Waltz tweeted, "The ICC has no credibility and these allegations have been refuted by the U.S. government."
"Israel has lawfully defended its people & borders from genocidal terrorists. You can expect a strong response to the antisemitic bias of the ICC & UN come January," he continued.
Waltz was picked to serve as Donald Trump's national security advisor, who is known for his aggressive stance on foreign policy.
The ICC issued arrest warrants Thursday for Netanyahu, as well as former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif. The Hamas leader was killed however in an airstrike in July, as previously reported by the Associated Press.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry previously submitted two legal briefs challenging the court's jurisdiction when it was announced they were seeking warrants, however the briefs were dismissed.
Netanyahu and Gallant are wanted by the court for "the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts," while Deif's warrant was issued for "war crimes of murder, cruel treatment, torture; taking hostages; outrages upon personal dignity; and rape and other form of sexual violence," according to the ICC.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the decision "outrageous" in a statement to X, claiming that the decision "turned the very system of justice into a human shield for Hamas' crimes against humanity."
Meanwhile, Palestinian politician Mustafa Barghouti applauded the issuance of warrants, and additionally called for the court to "expedite its ruling on Israel committing the crime of genocide," in a post to X.
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