Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed an inter-ministerial team and the director of Israel’s International Law Department to begin preparing a potential legal case targeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the International Criminal Court (ICC), i24NEWS reported Sunday, citing sources familiar with the matter. The reported move comes amid escalating diplomatic and legal tensions between Israel and Türkiye. According to i24NEWS, the directive followed remarks by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Türkiye had approached Interpol seeking a Red Notice for Netanyahu’s arrest.
The request was reportedly among several recent developments that prompted Israel to consider a legal response targeting the Turkish president. The draft case reportedly being prepared by Israeli legal officials would focus primarily on Erdogan’s military operations and policies toward Kurdish groups and communities inside Türkiye. The alleged case would also include claims concerning the Turkish government’s financial support for Hamas, according to i24NEWS.
Israel and Türkiye are not parties to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC, and neither country recognizes the court’s jurisdiction over its nationals on that basis. While Israel could theoretically seek to initiate proceedings through the ICC’s available legal mechanisms, i24NEWS reported that Israeli officials believe any formal effort would be more likely to involve a third-party country that is a member of the court. Sources cited by the outlet said Israel would prefer not to bring the case before the ICC if possible.
Instead, the reported strategy would involve preparing a complete legal file that could serve as a deterrent against further legal or diplomatic measures by Ankara. The case would therefore remain a potential legal option rather than necessarily becoming an active ICC proceeding. Netanyahu and officials from Israel’s Justice Ministry declined to comment on the allegations reported by i24NEWS.
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