President Isaac Herzog urged the international community to move to end what he called “illegitimate sanctions” stemming from International Criminal Court (ICC) action against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant, arguing the measures are preventing senior Israelis from participating in global forums and amount to awarding terror.
Speaking Tuesday in Davos after arriving for the World Economic Forum, Herzog raised the issue in a meeting with United Nations General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock, according to a statement from Herzog’s President’s Office.
“It is unacceptable that shameful international politics – repeatedly weaponized against the State of Israel – are being used by international legal forums to prevent senior Israelis in the only democracy in the Middle East from attending the World Economic Forum summit in Davos,” Herzog said.
Israel, he added, “is on the front line defending the entire free world against the Iranian regime’s empire of evil and its terror proxies.”
Herzog singled out the ICC process involving Netanyahu and Gallant, saying: “Preventing Netanyahu, or, for that matter, former defense minister Gallant from attending a global forum aiming to shape the future of the Middle East by such legal means is a reward for terror.”
Those who truly want to “build trust,” Herzog continued, “cannot exclude those who are on the front lines of the struggle.”
He added that “Israel’s leaders and decision makers should be welcomed everywhere, on every stage.”
ICC issues arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant, senior Hamas leaders
In May 2024, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan announced he was seeking arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, alongside senior Hamas leaders, over alleged crimes linked to the October 7 massacre and the subsequent Gaza war.
Then, in November 2024, ICC judges issued arrest warrants for the prime minister and then-defense minister. This step prompted heightened questions about travel and potential enforcement by states that are parties to the Rome Statute.
Poland’s government, in January 2025, said it would be required to arrest Netanyahu if he entered the country, after he was invited to attend events marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Hungary, by contrast, has openly rejected the warrants and said it would not comply.
“It is essential that the international community and European nations take action to bring this shameful episode of the imposition of illegitimate sanctions to a swift end,” Herzog said.