Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid also criticised the arrest warrants, accusing the court of rewarding “terrorism”.
The arrast warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant were issued on suspicion of “crimes against humanity and war crimes committed” in Gaza since Hamas’s Oct 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
“No outrageous anti-Israel decision will prevent us – and it will not prevent me – from continuing to defend our country in every way,” Netanyahu said in a video statement. “We will not yield to pressure,” he vowed.
Earlier, Netanyahu compared the ICC’s decision to “a modern-day Dreyfus trial”, referring to an infamous 19th-century case in which French Jewish army captain Alfred Dreyfus was unfairly convicted of treason.
He said Israel “rejects with disgust the absurd and false actions and accusations made against it”.
The judges were “driven by antisemitic hatred of Israel”, he said.
