Democratic Front commends the ICC’s refusal to cancel Netanyahu’s arrest warrant

The following statement was released on July 18, 2025.

The Democratic Front’s Legal Department praises the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) refusal to cancel Benjamin Netanyahu’s arrest warrant. World countries are called upon to provide protection to the court and its judges and to condemn Israel’s obstruction of justice.

The Legal Department of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine welcomed the decision of the Pre-Trial Chamber I of the ICC to reject Israel’s request to cancel the arrest warrants issued against Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

The court rejected Israel’s claims that the warrants lacked a “valid legal basis” and refused to suspend the investigation into alleged atrocities committed by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories. 

The Democratic Front’s Legal Department noted that the court’s decision came after the U.S. imposed sanctions on the court and its judges, and despite immense pressure, the court remains committed to its legal procedures.

The department emphasized that the ICC’s decision sends a strong message to the U.S., Israel and the world that the court will continue its proceedings, meaning the arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant cannot be dropped as long as the crimes continue and a final judgment has not been issued. The department called on states to provide protection to the court and its judges and to condemn Israeli and U.S. pressure aimed at diverting justice from its course.

The Democratic Front’s Legal Department concluded that Israel’s repeated appeals and objections to the court’s jurisdiction demonstrate its fear of the court’s proceedings, particularly given the ongoing genocidal war in Gaza and the West Bank. The department emphasized the need for states to adhere to the Rome Statute [adopted in Italy on July 17, 1993] to provide necessary protection to the court and its judges and to condemn attempts to undermine the court’s independence.

The text of the statement can be found in English and French on the website of the Department of Foreign Relations D.F.L.P at dflp.org/en/.

The statement was slightly edited.