“Israel” told the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday that it will appeal against arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister Yoav Gallant.

 

It also asked the court to suspend the warrants for the pair pending the outcome of the appeal, the prime minister's office said in a statement – cited by Agence France-Presse (AFP).

 

The ICC issued the warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant last week on suspicion of crimes against humanity and war crimes in “Israel's” aggression against Gaza.

 

The warrants drew furious condemnation from Netanyahu and other “Israeli” politicians.

 

The prime minister accused the court of anti-Semitism and vowed not to be deterred from defending the Israeli Occupation.

 

"The State of Israel challenges the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the legitimacy of the arrest warrants issued," Netanyahu's office said.

 

"If the court rejects this request, it will further demonstrate to Israel's friends in the United States and around the world how biased the International Criminal Court is against the State of Israel," it added.

 

The court said on November 21 it had found "reasonable grounds" to believe Netanyahu and Gallant bore "criminal responsibility" for the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare, as well as the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.