The Times of Israel rightly describes the ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan’s announcement on Monday of arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for crimes against humanity in the war against Hamas in Gaza as “the most shocking legal bombshell in Israel's history."

Khan also announced that the court prosecutor is seeking arrest warrants for Hamas's senior leaders — Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh – for the killing and kidnapping of hundreds of Israeli citizens on Oct. 7, 2023, that resulted in Israel’s heinous reprisal.

Western countries have classified Hamas a terrorist group. Such a label also fits Netanyahu given that he has the blood of over 35,000 Palestinian people, mostly women and children, on his hands.

According to the Israeli media, "Should the warrants be granted by the court's judges, Netanyahu would join the ranks of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, former Sudanese despot Omar al-Bashir, and the now-deceased tyrant of Libya Muammar Gaddafi — all national leaders against whom arrest orders have been issued."

The Israeli leaders are accused of "causing extermination; causing starvation as a method of war, including the denial of humanitarian relief supplies; deliberately targeting civilians in conflicts," among other charges, during their assault on Gaza since Oct. 7 last year.

International media organizations have reported that as of May 13, the Israel-Hamas war has claimed more than 37,000 lives (35,562 Palestinians, 1,478 Israelis, 105 journalists and over 220 humanitarian aid workers, including 179 employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Israel is also facing genocidal charges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) after South Africa filed a lawsuit against it.

This is the first time that the ICC has targeted the United States' closest ally. Unsurprisingly, President Joe Biden strongly criticized the court's plan. But as more Western countries harden their stances on Israel, pressures will mount on Biden to take a drastic measure against Israel. With elections on the horizon, Biden should listen to domestic demands, especially those of university students who have expressed their solidarity with the Palestinians.

When the warrants are issued, the 124 member nations of the ICC are obliged to arrest and surrender the Israeli and Hamas leaders to the court, according to the Rome Statute.

The Rome Statute is the treaty that established the ICC. It was adopted in Rome, Italy, on July 17, 1998, and became a full force in July 2002. 

According to Article 5 of the ICC's statute, the court's jurisdiction is limited to the five most serious crimes: The crime of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression.

It seems the announcement is morally symbolic.

Like the US, Russia and China, Israel is not a party to the 1998 Rome Statute. In 2021, the ICC court, however, ruled that it has jurisdiction over alleged war crimes committed in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. 

Many people across the world have taken to the streets to demand that Israel stop the crimes against humanity in Gaza and an increasing number of governments have shown support for Palestine’s statehood status at the UN.

However, the most right-wing and conservative government of Israel and its supporters have vowed to continue their campaign to expel the Palestinians from their homeland. There is always a limit for Netanyahu to withstand global pressure, and the domestic audience is growing unhappy with his government.

If the world will be unable to force stubborn Netanyahu to change, then domestic politics will. The arrest warrant sought by the ICC chief prosecutor is pulling the trigger.