The ICC is meant to be a court of last resort that steps in when a country’s own courts fail to prosecute abuses. Israel’s attorney-general told Mr Netanyahu this year that forming a state commission of inquiry might stall the ICC ’s probe. But he has yet to appoint one, and the judges noted Israel’s failure to do so in their decision.

Israel has dismissed the International Criminal Court (ICC)'s decision to issue an arrest warrant for its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant. Leaders across the country's political spectrum called it "outrageous" and "antisemitic".