Washington DC - The White House on Monday said it opposes the International Criminal Court's investigation into Israel's war on Gaza, which is expected to result in arrest warrants for Israeli officials.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Washington did "not support" the investigations and "we don't believe that they have the jurisdiction."

Jean-Pierre was asked whether potential arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials could torpedo the negotiations on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Asked several times, she stuck to her short answer and said: "I'll leave it at that."

Viral Video of the Day Viral Video of the Day for November 18, 2024: Toddler can't stop laughing when mom rests her head on his lap!

Israeli media had previously reported that Netanyahu feared that Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan could issue international arrest warrants for him, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi this week.

The court in The Hague, Netherlands, has been investigating the Israeli army and Hamas for alleged war crimes in the Palestinian Territories – the Gaza Strip, the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem – since 2021.

Palestine has been a state party since 2015. In 2021, the ICC determined that it also has jurisdiction over the territories occupied since 1967, such as the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Neither the US nor Israel recognize the court, but the Biden administration has strongly backed its prosecution of Russian President Vladimir Putin over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Daily Horoscope Today's horoscope: Free daily horoscope for Wednesday, November 20, 2024

Investigations are also underway into acts of violence committed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank. The International Court of Justice has meanwhile ruled that Israel has a genocide case to answer.

An ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu and other Israeli citizens would mean that countries that have signed the curt's statutes would be obliged to arrest these individuals and transfer them to The Hague whenever the individuals enter their territory.