Israel is preparing a lawsuit against Erdogan at the ICC over the Kurds and Hamas

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the start of preparations for a lawsuit against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the treatment of the Kurds and the financing of Hamas.

The order was issued in response to a request from the Turkish Ministry of Justice to Interpol to issue a “red notice” for the Israeli prime minister.

Israel and Türkiye do not recognize the authority of the ICC because they have not signed the Rome Statute.

TEL AVIV, September 28 - RIA Novosti. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu initiated the preparation of a lawsuit against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the International Criminal Court (ICC), linking this with the topic of the Kurds and the Palestinian Hamas movement, I24 TV channel reported, citing sources.

“Netanyahu has instructed the Israeli interdepartmental group and the director of the Department of International Law to begin preparing a lawsuit at the ICC against Turkish President Erdogan for his treatment of the Kurds and financing of Hamas,” the channel’s publication says.

According to the TV channel, Netanyahu’s order was issued in response to the fact that the Turkish Ministry of Justice had previously sent a request to Interpol to issue a “red notice” for the Israeli prime minister.

Israel can file a claim with the ICC on its own, but it is more likely that the authorities of the Jewish state will use the services of an intermediary to initiate the case, the TV channel notes. Israel and Türkiye do not recognize the authority of the ICC, since they have not signed the Rome Statute.

Erdogan regularly criticizes Israel, calling the Israeli army's actions in the Gaza Strip "genocide" and Hamas members "resistance fighters." Türkiye has repeatedly provided asylum and political support to prominent Hamas leaders, including Ismail Haniyeh, Khaled Meshal and others.

In August, during the visit of US President Jared Kushner's special envoy to Israel, Israeli media wrote, citing sources, that one of the topics of his conversation with Netanyahu was allegedly Turkey's financing of Hamas.

At the end of November 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli former Defense Minister Yoav Galant for alleged war crimes in the Gaza Strip.