section_path: Legal analysis and commentary
section_name: Legal analysis and commentary
paragraph_text: Legal analysis and commentary
  
  International law professor Eliav Lieblich of Tel-Aviv University characterised the decision as "the most dramatic legal development in Israel's history", referring to his view that all 124 States Parties to the Rome Statute, including "most of Israel's closest allies", were legally obliged to arrest Netanyahu and Gallant if they are present in their territories. International law professors Matthias Goldmann and Kai Ambos said to Der Tagesspiegel that Germany was legally obliged to enforce the arrest warrants.
  
  US defense lawyer and professor Alan Dershowitz stated that the rule of law had been "disgraced" by the ICC's decision. He condemned the "false charges" and announced his intention to assemble a team of prominent lawyers to defend Israeli leaders in The Hague. Canadian human rights advocate and former justice minister Irwin Cotler criticized ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan for his approach toward Israeli leaders, asserting that Khan violated principles of cooperation and complementarity by issuing arrest warrants for them while being lenient toward Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
  
  An article in the Journal of International Peacekeeping criticized the ICC for not including the crime of humanity of forced displacement among the charges against Israeli leaders.
  
  In 2024, ICC prosecutor Karim Khan faced allegations of sexual misconduct, which he denied, calling them part of a smear campaign amid the Court’s investigations into Israel. In November, the ICC opened an external probe, and Khan temporarily stepped aside in May 2025.