THE International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials sparked anger and frustration at Jerusalem’s bustling Mahane Yehuda Market. However, the prevailing sentiment among many was a strong sense of unity.
Sarita Katzin Sarfati, a local vendor, expressed her outrage over the court’s move to target Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes related to the Gaza conflict following the October 7 attack on Israel.
“I think it’s terrible. What about Putin? What about the real evil people?” Sarfati said, criticizing the court’s focus on Israeli leaders.
She added, “Netanyahu is thinking about his people… and I believe the whole world should support us. Bibi is our prime minister, and they should support him as well,” using the common Israeli nickname for Netanyahu.
As shoppers hurried through the crowded alleyways of Jerusalem’s Mahane Yehuda Market, Netanel Yehuda expressed his outrage over the International Criminal Court’s actions.
“I’m against it. We’re a nation, independent, and can make our own decisions here. Nobody else can tell us to put someone in jail or anything else,” Yehuda told one media source.
His views echo those of many Israelis, as experts note that a strong sense of national sovereignty and defiance against external intervention remains widespread across the country.
The limited opposition to Israel’s ongoing military actions in Gaza is largely driven by concerns over the growing number of Israeli soldier casualties and the hope that a ceasefire could facilitate the release of the 101 hostages still being held by Hamas. However, the suffering of Palestinians has largely been absent from the anti-war discourse in Israel.
This is in part due to the deep emotional scars left by the brutal October 7 attack, during which Hamas militants killed over 1,200 Israelis.
The attack remains fresh in the national consciousness, with many Israelis personally connected to the tragedy, either through family members or friends who are directly involved in the conflict or serving in the military.
Portraits of the hostages are displayed across the country, from Tel Aviv’s sea promenade to the arrivals hall at Israel’s main airport, further underscoring the emotional weight of the conflict.
Additionally, some Israelis have expressed outrage over the International Criminal Court (ICC) issuing arrest warrants not only for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant but also for Mohammed Al-Masri, also known as Mohammed Deif, the Hamas leader allegedly behind the October 7 attack.
“The ICC is equating Gallant and Netanyahu to Mohammed Deif… This is something that Israelis truly cannot comprehend,” said one Israeli observer.
Yael Vias Gvirsman, who represents the families of Israeli victims at the ICC, was in The Hague when the warrants were issued. She acknowledged that the warrant for Deif was an important step in recognizing the horrors of Hamas’ actions, including torture, rape, and other war crimes.
But she also noted that the warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant came as a shock to many in Israel, a nation grappling with profound national trauma.
The ICC said it had “reasonable grounds” to believe Netanyahu was criminally responsible for war crimes, including the use of starvation as a method of warfare, as well as crimes against humanity such as murder and persecution.
Since October 7, over 43,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
Netanyahu responded to the ICC’s move by condemning it as “antisemitic,” comparing it to the wrongful conviction of French Jewish soldier Alfred Dreyfus in 1894. He accused the ICC of being motivated by antisemitic bias against Israel, the “one and only Jewish state.”
In contrast, opposition leader Yair Lapid called the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant a “reward for terrorism,” emphasizing the political divisions within Israel regarding the ICC’s actions.