Smotrich confirms ICC has issued a request for an arrest warrant against him
The far right politician, who has served as Israel's Minister of Finance since 2023, has vowed to 'fight back with a vengeance'
Israel’s finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, has confirmed that the International Criminal Court has issued a warrant for his arrest, describing it as “a declaration of war” and subsequently ordering the demolition of a Bedouin village in East Jerusalem.
At a press conference on Tuesday, the far right politician, who has served as a member of the Netanyahu-led coalition government since 2022, linked the warrant to his establishment of hundreds of construction zones in the West Bank specifically for Israelis – including 100 settlements and 160 farming outposts.
As reported by Times of Israel, Smotrich said that “as a sovereign and independent state, we will not accept hypocritical dictates from biased bodies that regularly stand against the State of Israel, against our biblical, historical and legal rights in our homeland, and against our right and duty to self-defence and security.”
It is understood that the ICC issued a sealed request for an arrest warrant to be issued, meaning that the court will not confirm publicly whether it has indeed done so. Smotrich’s statement, however, would appear to confirm the reports.
He cited efforts by the Palestinian authority to target Israeli politicians via international courts, and said he would “fight back with a vengeance”. His first salvo appears to have been initiating the demolition of Khan Al-Ammar, a Bedouin village near the Israeli towns of Ma’ale Adumim and Kfar Adumim. In 2018, Israel’s Supreme Court ruled that the residents of the village were there illegally and could be removed, with condemnation from international bodies including the ICC. Since then, however, the evacuation order has been repeatedly paused or delayed; in 2023, the current government itself applied for a delay, with the Supreme Court also ruling that the evacuation should be stayed.
In 2022, when Smotrich – who was not yet a member of the Israeli government – visited the UK, the Board of Deputies of British Jews issued a social media message saying that he was not welcome, telling him to “get back on the plane, Bezalel, and be remembered as a disgrace forever”. At the time, Israel’s President, Michael Herzog, criticised the Board, calling the comments “deeply insulting”.
Reports over the weekend indicated that the ICC may also be seeking to issue arrest warrants for other Israeli politicians and senior IDF soldiers in the near future.
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