Fear of arrest keeps Netanyahu from Vatican ceremony

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli regime’s Prime Minister, has withdrawn from attending the official inauguration ceremony of “Pope Leo XIV,” scheduled for Sunday in the Vatican.

According to Al Jazeera’s report, the reason for this decision is cited as concerns over the possible enforcement of an arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The report states that Netanyahu’s office had contacted Italian and Vatican authorities in recent days to seek assurances regarding the potential enforcement of the international arrest warrant against the Israeli regime’s Prime Minister. However, the responses received lacked definitive guarantees that the warrant would not be enforced, ultimately leading to the cancellation of the trip.

Informed sources reported that these responses were described as “unreassuring,” and the Israeli Prime Minister’s office, aiming to avoid any risk, decided to withdraw from participating in the ceremony.

The official inauguration ceremony of the new Pope is set to take place as a special religious event in the Vatican. Pope Leo XIV will deliver his first public address on May 21, 2025.

On November 21, 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants against Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, the then-Israeli regime’s Minister of War, on charges of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity during the war on the Gaza Strip.