Netanyahu jokes Israeli special forces could rescue him if arrested abroad

Netanyahu argued that the court’s reach could extend beyond Israeli officials to senior American leaders and troops serving alongside Israel.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he has contemplated the possibility of being detained overseas under an International Criminal Court warrant, telling Fox News that Israel’s special forces could be tasked with securing his release if such a scenario ever occurred.

During an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, the discussion turned to the legal risks Netanyahu could face while traveling internationally.

Hannity asked whether an unexpected medical emergency requiring his aircraft to land in a country that recognizes the ICC could result in his arrest.

“It scares me in this sense for you,” Hannity said. “You travel internationally. God forbid you had a medical emergency and you need to land, and you’re about to land in a country that recognizes the ICC. It could complicate things. Do you worry about that?”

Netanyahu acknowledged that he has considered the possibility.

“Yeah, I think about it,” he said. “You know, we have special forces around. I served with them for five years.”

Hannity then suggested there could be a contingency plan, noting the Israel Defense Forces’ reputation for carrying out difficult missions.

“Let’s give them a new task,” Netanyahu replied.

The conversation also turned to the International Criminal Court itself, with Netanyahu sharply criticizing the institution and questioning its legitimacy.

“It’s the corruption of the international system,” he said. “It’s an unelected bureaucracy that sits in The Hague that could arrest American soldiers because you don’t recognize this corrupt body any more than we do.”

Netanyahu argued that the court’s reach could extend beyond Israeli officials to senior American leaders and troops serving alongside Israel.

“They could say that the president of the United States is a war criminal,” Netanyahu said. “That American soldiers valiantly fighting next to us, shoulder to shoulder against the tyranny in Tehran, that they’re war criminals. They could pick them up.”

The interview centered on the potential consequences of the ICC’s jurisdiction for Israeli and U.S. officials, with Netanyahu saying he takes the possibility of detention into account when traveling abroad while maintaining his criticism of the court.