Israeli far-right minister Smotrich says ICC prosecutor seeks his arrest
Details and Reactions to the ICC Arrest Warrant Request
Announcement of the Alleged Arrest Warrant
JERUSALEM, May 19 (Reuters) - Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's far-right finance minister, said on Tuesday he was informed that the prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in the Hague has requested a "secret" arrest warrant against him.
Smotrich, speaking at a press conference, did not specify who had informed him of the warrant on Monday evening, and the process of seeking warrants is confidential. He also did not reveal the ICC's reasons.
ICC Prosecutor's Confidential Process
The office of the prosecutor at the ICC declined to comment, citing confidentiality of the process.
Prosecutors can submit a confidential application to judges, who have to find there are reasonable grounds to conclude a suspect has committed crimes under the jurisdiction of the ICC in order to approve the application.
Smotrich said he had been told that the court "submitted a secret request for an international arrest warrant against me."
Context: Previous ICC Actions and Political Reactions
Recent ICC Warrants Related to the Gaza Conflict
The court in November 2024 had issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence chief, Yoav Gallant, as well as a Hamas leader, Ibrahim Al-Masri, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict.
Israeli Government Response
Smotrich called the arrest warrants against Israeli officials "a declaration of war" by the Palestinian Authority, apparently reflecting Israeli government anger at what it sees as Palestinian backing for international legal action over the Gaza war.
International Sanctions and Smotrich's Stance
Britain and four other nations last year imposed sanctions on Smotrich and another far-right Israeli cabinet minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, accusing them of repeatedly inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
Smotrich has called for the permanent conquest of Gaza and re-establishment of Jewish settlements there that Israel abandoned in 2005, notions that Netanyahu has rejected.
(Reporting by Steven Scheer;Additional reporting by Stephanie Van Den Berg in The Hague, Anthony Deutsch in Amsterdam and Rami Ayyub in Jerusalem, Editing by William Maclean)
