ICC Maintains Silence on Five New Warrant Reports; Israel Moves to Legislate Non-Cooperation

As of May 25, 2026, the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I had made no public announcement regarding the five reportedly sealed arrest warrants for Israeli officials (Defense Minister Israel Katz, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, and Southern Command Chief Maj.-Gen. Yaniv Asor), consistent with standard ICC secrecy procedures for sealed warrants. Reports from Israeli and Arab media sources the prior day claimed warrants had been issued, which the ICC denied — though legal analysts noted the ICC routinely denies warrant issuance when proceedings remain sealed. In response to the warrant reports, the Israeli government moved to formally establish a multi-nation diplomatic bloc opposing what Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar called 'the weaponization of international law against a democracy in active conflict.' Netanyahu convened an emergency cabinet session to assess the legal and diplomatic exposure of the named officials and to prepare domestic legislation criminalizing cooperation with any ICC arrest attempts. Under the Rome Statute, the 124 member states would be legally obligated to arrest any listed official entering their territory — a constraint with significant implications for the diplomatic mobility of Israeli cabinet members. Spain, the Netherlands, and Belgium reaffirmed their Rome Statute obligations.