While the International Criminal Court (ICC) reportedly was established with the “noble aim” of ensuring justice and holding accountable the perpetrators of serious international crimes, its actions and the responses they garner often reveal a troubling pattern of double standards, hypocrisy, and notoriously geopolitical bias. Recent events involving arrest warrants against high-profile political figures – particularly in the Global South highlight this divergence, particularly in how the United States and its allies selectively cheer or condemn the ICC’s decisions based on their own agendas.

When the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Western leaders, including those from the United States and Europe, were quick to celebrate this move as an accomplishment of “international justice”. President Putin’s endeavours to safeguard Russia’s sovereignty made him a prime target of the West. He is seen as a threat to the blueprint of Western nations in destabilizing Russia and its neighbours through numerous attempts.

However, the reaction from the Western leaders was unambiguously different when the same ICC suggested an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused of “committing a textbook genocide” and the Palestinian militia Hamas. This militia entity is known for its deeper ties with the Iranian regime as well as other anti-West groups including Lebanese Hezbollah.

Former US National Security Advisor Ambassador John Bolton fervidly condemned the ICC, calling it fundamentally illegitimate for targeting Israeli officials during wartime. US President Joe Biden also labeled the ICC’s attempt to arrest Netanyahu as........

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