Israeli minister Smotrich says ICC prosecutor seeking warrant for his arrest

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Israeli minister Smotrich says ICC prosecutor seeking warrant for his arrest8 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleYolande Knell ,Middle East correspondent, JerusalemandDavid GrittenReutersBezalel Smotrich was among the Israeli nationalists who took part in the Jerusalem Day march last weekFar-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says he has been told the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has requested a "secret" arrest warrant for him. He did not say which accusations he faced. But he described the move as "a declaration of war" and blamed the Palestinian Authority.

The process of seeking warrants is confidential and must be approved by ICC judges. The court declined to comment, though it recently denied that warrants had been issued for five Israeli officials. Smotrich - who has wide authority over Israeli policies in the occupied West Bank - responded by ordering the demolition of Khan al-Ahmar, a prominent Palestinian Bedouin village.

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In 2018, Israel's Supreme Court upheld an eviction order for Khan al-Ahmar, but it has not been enforced after warnings from the UN, the ICC and others that this would violate international law. Last June, the UK and four other Western countries sanctioned Smotrich and another far-right Israeli minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, over what they said were "repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian communities" in the West Bank. The Israeli government said the measures were "outrageous".

AFPThe fate of the Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar has been a subject of international concern (file photo)On Sunday, Israel's Haaretz newspaper cited sources as saying that the ICC prosecutor had requested new arrest warrants for five Israeli political and military officials, including Smotrich, for alleged crimes against Palestinians. But a spokesperson for the court at the time told media it "denies the issuance of new arrest warrants in the situation in the State of Palestine". In November 2024, ICC judges issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, saying there were "reasonable grounds" to believe the men bore criminal responsibility for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the war in Gaza.

The Israeli government and both men rejected the accusations. The ICC prosecutor had also applied in May 2024 for arrest warrants for three leaders of the Palestinian armed group Hamas - Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar, military chief Mohammed Deif, and political leader Ismail Haniyeh - on the same charges. But all three men were killed by Israeli forces before any warrants were issued.

The ICC has the authority to prosecute those accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes on the territory of states party to the Rome Statute, its founding treaty. Israel is not an ICC member state and rejects its jurisdiction.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.