Smotrich is the third Israeli official targeted by the ICC, after Netanyahu and Gallant, for their war crimes in Gaza.By AFP and ReutersPublished On 19 May 202619 May 2026Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he was informed that the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague had requested a warrant for his arrest.Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, Smotrich did not specify who had informed him about the warrant the previous evening. The process of seeking warrants is confidential.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listSmotrich called the arrest warrants against Israeli officials “a declaration of war”, adding: “And in the face of a declaration of war, we will fight back with a vengeance.”He also attacked “the terrorist organisation mistakenly called the Palestinian Authority”, reflecting the Israeli government’s anger at what it sees as Palestinian backing for international legal action over Israel’s military actions in Gaza.Announcing that he would go on the attack after the news of this arrest warrant, Smotrich said he “will sign an order to evacuate Khan al-Ahmar”, forcibly transferring the Palestinian community from this occupied West Bank village that has endured a years-long legal battle with Israeli authorities for its survival.In November 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for “crimes against humanity and war crimes” committed during Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.Judges and prosecutors at the ICC have since been cut off by banks, credit card companies and tech giants like Amazon as a result of sanctions brought by the Trump administration.The court also issued arrest warrants for several Hamas leaders who were subsequently killed in Israeli operations. Advertisement The ICC accusations reportedly centre on Smotrich’s forced displacement orders for Palestinians, his support for moving Israeli settlers into occupied territory, …
