Netanyahu calls off Vatican trip over ICC arrest fears
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly scrapped his plans to attend Pope Leo XIV’s inauguration at the Vatican, fueled by fears over a potential arrest related to a warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
According to Ynet, Netanyahu’s decision came after behind-the-scenes negotiations between the occupying entity and Italian and Vatican officials to assess whether Netanyahu could enter the country without facing detention.
However, Italian and Vatican officials’ responses have been ambiguous, and it remained unclear whether they would comply with the ICC’s warrant should Netanyahu set foot on their soil.
Faced with this uncertainty, Netanyahu’s office has canceled the trip to avoid arrest or diplomatic embarrassment.
The ICC arrest warrant, though not confirmed publicly by the court, is related to the war crimes the Israeli regime, led by Netanyahu, has committed over the past 19 months since the genocidal war on Gaza began.
This is another legal setback for Netanyahu on the international stage, as global outrage over the ongoing war in Gaza grows.
Pope Leo XIV’s inauguration ceremony is expected to draw world leaders and dignitaries from across the globe.
Netanyahu’s absence, under such circumstances, underscores the Israeli regime’s diplomatic isolation in the wake of its genocidal actions in Gaza, where over 53,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed.
On November 21, 2024, following an investigation of war crimes and crimes against humanity, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, the former minister of military affairs.
Israel, which rejects the jurisdiction of the Hague-based court and denies war crimes in Gaza, is contesting the warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant.
Documents published on the ICC website earlier this month revealed that Israel has asked judges at the ICC to withdraw arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant.
They also show Israel has asked the court to order the prosecution to suspend its investigation into atrocity crimes in the Palestinian Territories.
There are no specific deadlines set for decisions on Israel’s request to withdraw the warrants and halt the investigation.
