Netanyahu, under ICC arrest warrant, orders case against Erdoğan

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed an
inter-ministerial team and the director of Israel’s International
Law Department to begin preparing a potential legal case targeting
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the International
Criminal Court (ICC), i24NEWS reported Sunday, citing sources
familiar with the matter.

The reported move comes amid escalating diplomatic and legal
tensions between Israel and Türkiye.

According to i24NEWS, the directive followed remarks by Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Türkiye had approached Interpol
seeking a Red Notice for Netanyahu’s arrest. The request was
reportedly among several recent developments that prompted Israel
to consider a legal response targeting the Turkish president.

The draft case reportedly being prepared by Israeli legal
officials would focus primarily on Erdogan’s military operations
and policies toward Kurdish groups and communities inside
Türkiye.

The alleged case would also include claims concerning the
Turkish government’s financial support for Hamas, according to
i24NEWS.

Israel and Türkiye are not parties to the Rome Statute, the
treaty that established the ICC, and neither country recognizes the
court’s jurisdiction over its nationals on that basis.

While Israel could theoretically seek to initiate proceedings
through the ICC’s available legal mechanisms, i24NEWS reported that
Israeli officials believe any formal effort would be more likely to
involve a third-party country that is a member of the court.

Sources cited by the outlet said Israel would prefer not to
bring the case before the ICC if possible.

Instead, the reported strategy would involve preparing a
complete legal file that could serve as a deterrent against further
legal or diplomatic measures by Ankara.

The case would therefore remain a potential legal option rather
than necessarily becoming an active ICC proceeding.

Netanyahu and officials from Israel’s Justice Ministry declined
to comment on the allegations reported by i24NEWS.

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