Several member states of the International Criminal Court announced today, Saturday, that the court has jurisdiction over Israeli officials involved in committing crimes within Palestinian territories.

This was stated in a joint official statement issued by countries such as Spain, Ireland, Colombia, Brazil, Palestine, South Africa, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Comoros, and Djibouti, and sent to the court's preliminary examination division. The statement calls for the issuance of an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defense Minister.

The statement emphasized that the International Criminal Court, under the Rome Statute, has the legal authority to prosecute Israeli officials involved in crimes within Palestinian territories.

On May 20, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim Khan announced that the court is seeking to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, along with three leaders from Hamas, on charges of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the October 7 attacks on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza.

The arrest warrants against Israeli politicians are a precedent in the history of the International Criminal Court, as they target for the first time "the top leader of a close ally of the United States."

After initial reports about Khan's intentions surfaced, Netanyahu warned that the court's issuance of these warrants would be considered "an unprecedented anti-Semitic hate crime."

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson also expressed his concern, noting that Congress might consider imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court if an arrest warrant is issued against Netanyahu.

For his part, U.S. President Joe Biden described the request of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court for an arrest warrant against Netanyahu as "shameful," and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken joined in these criticisms, calling the request "outrageous."

Last June, the Jerusalem Post reported that the International Criminal Court decided to postpone its decision on issuing arrest warrants against Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

It is worth noting that 123 countries have signed the Rome Statute, which grants the International Criminal Court its powers. These countries are obligated to execute the arrest warrants issued by the court, exposing Netanyahu to the risk of arrest if he has to land in any of these countries.

The Prosecutor Karim Khan announced on May 20 that the court is seeking to issue arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant, alongside leaders from Hamas, on charges of committing war crimes.