Israel will 'punish' Palestinian Authority if ICC issues arrest warrants

The Israeli government has told US President Joe Biden’s administration that if the International Criminal Court (ICC) issues arrest warrants against Israeli leaders, it will "punish" the Palestinian Authority, two Israeli and US officials have told Axios. 

The ICC has been investigating possible war crimes committed by both Israeli and Palestinian fighters since 2021, with the probe taking in events going back to the 2014 Gaza war.

Recently, there have been reports that the court, which is based in the Dutch city of The Hague, is poised to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior political and military figures in Israel.

Two US officials told Axios that the Biden administration has told ICC officials in private that "arrest warrants against Israeli leaders would be a mistake and that the US doesn't support the action".

“We are quietly encouraging the ICC not to do it. It will blow up everything. Israel will retaliate against the Palestinian Authority,” a US official said.

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