SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir marches through the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem on May 26, 2025.
(Photo: Eyal Warshavsky/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
'When The Hague Is Against Me, I Know I'm on the Right Path,' Says Accused Israeli War Criminal Ben-Gvir
"No arrest warrant of any kind will deter me," said far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
May 28, 2025
Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir responded proudly Wednesday to reports that the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court was considering arrest warrants against him and fellow extremist minister Bezalel Smotrich over their roles in expanding illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Ben-Gvir, who has openly fought efforts to deliver aid to starving Palestinians and worked to prevent progress toward a durable cease-fire, wrote in a social media post that "when The Hague is against me, I know I'm on the right path"—suggesting he would view an arrest warrant from the ICC as a badge of honor.
"I have one clear message to the chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in The Hague," he wrote. "No arrest warrant of any kind will deter me from continuing to work for the people of Israel and the Land of Israel. The prosecutor in The Hague does not scare me."
The Israeli minister's post came after The Wall Street Journal reported that ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan "was preparing to seek arrest warrants for two far-right Israeli cabinet members before he went on leave as the United Nations investigates sexual-assault allegations against him."
The Journal noted that the cases center on Ben-Gvir and Smotrich's "roles in expanding Jewish settlements in the West Bank." Both ministers live in West Bank settlements, which have expanded significantly since Israel began its full-scale assault on the Gaza Strip following the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023.
"A decision on whether to pursue the cases falls to Khan's two deputies, and it is unclear how they plan to proceed," the Journal reported. "ICC prosecutors have been weighing whether Smotrich and Ben-Gvir committed war crimes by pushing construction of West Bank Jewish settlements."
Late last year, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing the pair of committing war crimes in the Gaza Strip.
Khan decided to take leave earlier this month amid the U.N. probe of sexual assault allegations made by one of his aides. Khan has denied the accusations, which have thrown the ICC into chaos at a pivotal moment.
Journalist Alice Speri reported for Drop Site earlier this month that "the woman's accusations were far more serious than what has been revealed so far, and include what she described to colleagues as monthslong grooming, psychological coercion, and sexual advances, which eventually escalated into 'unwanted' and 'coerced' sex that lasted nearly a year and continued even after she told Khan that his conduct had left her suicidal."
Khan's alleged conduct and the resulting blowback risks compromising the ICC's work to hold Israeli officials to account for war crimes committed in the occupied Palestinian territories, advocates and court officials fear.
Speri reported that "many at the court, including the alleged victim... understood the abuse allegations were political dynamite and 'a gift for Israel,' as one person put it, and they worried about how they may be used to discredit the ICC, and particularly delegitimize the case against Netanyahu, which many believed was warranted and crucial."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir responded proudly Wednesday to reports that the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court was considering arrest warrants against him and fellow extremist minister Bezalel Smotrich over their roles in expanding illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Ben-Gvir, who has openly fought efforts to deliver aid to starving Palestinians and worked to prevent progress toward a durable cease-fire, wrote in a social media post that "when The Hague is against me, I know I'm on the right path"—suggesting he would view an arrest warrant from the ICC as a badge of honor.
"I have one clear message to the chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in The Hague," he wrote. "No arrest warrant of any kind will deter me from continuing to work for the people of Israel and the Land of Israel. The prosecutor in The Hague does not scare me."
The Israeli minister's post came after The Wall Street Journal reported that ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan "was preparing to seek arrest warrants for two far-right Israeli cabinet members before he went on leave as the United Nations investigates sexual-assault allegations against him."
The Journal noted that the cases center on Ben-Gvir and Smotrich's "roles in expanding Jewish settlements in the West Bank." Both ministers live in West Bank settlements, which have expanded significantly since Israel began its full-scale assault on the Gaza Strip following the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023.
"A decision on whether to pursue the cases falls to Khan's two deputies, and it is unclear how they plan to proceed," the Journal reported. "ICC prosecutors have been weighing whether Smotrich and Ben-Gvir committed war crimes by pushing construction of West Bank Jewish settlements."
Late last year, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing the pair of committing war crimes in the Gaza Strip.
Khan decided to take leave earlier this month amid the U.N. probe of sexual assault allegations made by one of his aides. Khan has denied the accusations, which have thrown the ICC into chaos at a pivotal moment.
Journalist Alice Speri reported for Drop Site earlier this month that "the woman's accusations were far more serious than what has been revealed so far, and include what she described to colleagues as monthslong grooming, psychological coercion, and sexual advances, which eventually escalated into 'unwanted' and 'coerced' sex that lasted nearly a year and continued even after she told Khan that his conduct had left her suicidal."
Khan's alleged conduct and the resulting blowback risks compromising the ICC's work to hold Israeli officials to account for war crimes committed in the occupied Palestinian territories, advocates and court officials fear.
Speri reported that "many at the court, including the alleged victim... understood the abuse allegations were political dynamite and 'a gift for Israel,' as one person put it, and they worried about how they may be used to discredit the ICC, and particularly delegitimize the case against Netanyahu, which many believed was warranted and crucial."
Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir responded proudly Wednesday to reports that the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court was considering arrest warrants against him and fellow extremist minister Bezalel Smotrich over their roles in expanding illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Ben-Gvir, who has openly fought efforts to deliver aid to starving Palestinians and worked to prevent progress toward a durable cease-fire, wrote in a social media post that "when The Hague is against me, I know I'm on the right path"—suggesting he would view an arrest warrant from the ICC as a badge of honor.
"I have one clear message to the chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in The Hague," he wrote. "No arrest warrant of any kind will deter me from continuing to work for the people of Israel and the Land of Israel. The prosecutor in The Hague does not scare me."
The Israeli minister's post came after The Wall Street Journal reported that ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan "was preparing to seek arrest warrants for two far-right Israeli cabinet members before he went on leave as the United Nations investigates sexual-assault allegations against him."
The Journal noted that the cases center on Ben-Gvir and Smotrich's "roles in expanding Jewish settlements in the West Bank." Both ministers live in West Bank settlements, which have expanded significantly since Israel began its full-scale assault on the Gaza Strip following the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023.
"A decision on whether to pursue the cases falls to Khan's two deputies, and it is unclear how they plan to proceed," the Journal reported. "ICC prosecutors have been weighing whether Smotrich and Ben-Gvir committed war crimes by pushing construction of West Bank Jewish settlements."
Late last year, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing the pair of committing war crimes in the Gaza Strip.
Khan decided to take leave earlier this month amid the U.N. probe of sexual assault allegations made by one of his aides. Khan has denied the accusations, which have thrown the ICC into chaos at a pivotal moment.
Journalist Alice Speri reported for Drop Site earlier this month that "the woman's accusations were far more serious than what has been revealed so far, and include what she described to colleagues as monthslong grooming, psychological coercion, and sexual advances, which eventually escalated into 'unwanted' and 'coerced' sex that lasted nearly a year and continued even after she told Khan that his conduct had left her suicidal."
Khan's alleged conduct and the resulting blowback risks compromising the ICC's work to hold Israeli officials to account for war crimes committed in the occupied Palestinian territories, advocates and court officials fear.
Speri reported that "many at the court, including the alleged victim... understood the abuse allegations were political dynamite and 'a gift for Israel,' as one person put it, and they worried about how they may be used to discredit the ICC, and particularly delegitimize the case against Netanyahu, which many believed was warranted and crucial."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.