Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has revealed that the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has filed a request for an arrest warrant against him.
According to a global news agency, extremist Jewish leader Smotrich has called the expected arrest warrant of the International Criminal Court a declaration of war against Israel and ordered the demolition of a Palestinian village.
It should be noted that the ICC has not yet officially released the details of the charges against the Israeli Finance Minister, but there are reports that an arrest warrant has been requested for Smotrich for playing a central role in the expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.
At a press conference in Jerusalem, the Israeli Finance Minister said that issuing arrest warrants against the country’s Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Minister of Finance is a declaration of war against Israel.
He called the International Criminal Court a biased institution and said that Israel will not compromise on its historical, religious and legal rights.
The Israeli Finance Minister alleged that the Palestinian Authority is trying to mobilize the International Court of Justice against the Israeli leadership.
He hinted at imposing sanctions in a threatening tone and said that he would take all possible economic and administrative action against the Palestinian government.
It should be noted that the prosecutor first files a request to issue an arrest warrant at the International Criminal Court, after which a pre-trial chamber consisting of three judges reviews the evidence and legal points and makes a decision.
According to the American newspaper Wall Street Journal, the International Court of Justice may charge the Israeli Finance Minister with war crimes for his efforts to demolish Palestinian settlements and establish Jewish settlements, as this is considered a violation of the Geneva Conventions.
It should be remembered that the Palestinian settlement that the Israeli Finance Minister has ordered to be demolished is an ancient village and has been the center of conflict between Israel and the international community for years.
The Israeli Supreme Court had declared the settlement illegal in 2018 and allowed its demolition, because there were no building permits and zoning plans.
However, the Israeli government has not yet implemented this decision due to fear of international backlash.
The international community and human rights organizations have been calling the demolition of this settlement a forced eviction.
In his press conference, Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich called the establishment or legalization of 103 new Jewish settlements in the West Bank a major success.
The Israeli Finance Minister claimed that 160 agricultural outposts have also been established during the government’s tenure, through which control over approximately 247,000 acres of land has been gained.
These agricultural settlements are technically considered illegal because they do not have formal cabinet approval, but Israeli ministries and defense agencies support and protect them.
According to an Israeli human rights organization, 59 Palestinian communities in Areas B and C of the West Bank have been evicted as a result of settler violence since the war began in October 2023, while the number of affected people has exceeded 4,000.
The organization further says that Jewish settlers openly talk about occupying more land by evicting Palestinians.
International law experts have also warned that the forcible transfer of the Palestinian population could be considered a war crime under the Fourth Geneva Convention.
It should be recalled that in November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and then Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Israel does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC and, since it is not a member of the Rome Statute, the International Criminal Court cannot take action against Israeli citizens.
Israel also says that the Palestinian Authority’s accession to the ICC does not give the court jurisdiction over Israeli territories because there are clear limits in this regard in the Oslo Accords.