Yedioth Ahronoth: Netanyahu won’t attend the new Pope’s inauguration fearing of arrest
The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a planned visit to the Vatican to attend the inauguration ceremony of Pope Leo XIV, fearing the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against him.
Yedioth Ahronoth quoted informed sources as saying that Israel contacted Italian authorities and the Vatican to inquire whether Netanyahu would be allowed to enter their territories without being arrested, but the responses received didn’t provide clear guarantees regarding the disregard or implementation of the arrest warrant.
According to the same sources, Netanyahu’s office decided to back out of the visit and not take any risks, after receiving responses described as not reassuring.
On November 21, 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity during the aggression on Gaza.
