Israeli politician and former minister of defense
Amid rising settlement expansion in the West Bank, Israeli policy advances 69 new settlements with a total plan value of $388m, while a parallel UN-backed and Amnesty reports allege state-backed displacement of Palestinians. Western powers impose coordinated sanctions targeting settler networks; human rights groups call for broader accountability as violence intensifies.
Hungary has announced it will halt its planned withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC). Prime Minister Magyar states that Hungary will remain a member and will detain Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu if he enters the country, due to an ICC arrest warrant over war crimes in Gaza. This decision follows Magyar's election victory and his invitation to Netanyahu for a national event.
The Venice Biennale is reopening Russia’s pavilion for the first time since 2022 amid protests and a mass jury resignation over entries from states facing ICC charges. The international jury has resigned, and the festival is facing scrutiny from the EU and Italy as debates over artistic neutrality and politics intensify.
Israel has approved new legislation to try Oct. 7 attackers in a special military court, with a livestreamed tribunal, three-judge panels, and possible death sentences for genocide or related crimes. The law expands to include others charged with crimes against the Jewish people, war crimes and crimes against humanity, and bars prisoner exchanges for those convicted. Trials will be public, with remotely participating defendants and an appeals process.
Israeli settlers have been attacking Palestinians across the West Bank, displacing communities, injuring and killing civilians and vandalising property; Israeli authorities have charged at least one suspected attacker, while the ICC has been preparing arrest-warrant applications against Israeli ministers for alleged crimes including forced displacement and apartheid. (As of 24 May 2026.)
The US Treasury has listed UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese under an "International Criminal Court-related Designation Removal" after a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking earlier sanctions. The Trump administration has appealed and the State Department has said it intends to restore her designation if the court reverses the injunction.
The U.S. Treasury has removed sanctions on UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, following a federal judge’s injunction blocking measures tied to her criticisms of Israel’s Gaza war. The action affects Albaneze and related designations, and comes after parallel court rulings that protect free speech related to her UN work.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said he was informed of an ICC arrest-warrant request and has ordered the immediate evacuation of the Palestinian Bedouin community Khan al-Ahmar. The ICC has not confirmed any new warrants; Israeli security bodies and courts will determine if and when the order takes effect.
Palestinian Bedouin community Khan al-Ahmar faces a looming evacuation order after Israel’s far-right finance minister Smotrich has said he is coordinating steps to expel residents, pending cabinet approval. He claims the ICC is seeking an arrest warrant, a claim denied by the ICC; residents fear demolition and displacement amid broader settlement expansion in Area C.
Hungary has moved to rescind its withdrawal from the International Criminal Court, a change driven by a new government that has submitted fast-track legislation to rejoin. Parliament has approved the measure, and it now awaits a presidential signature. The ICC had previously urged compliance after Hungary failed to arrest a wanted leader during a visit.
The United States has reimposed sanctions on Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, returning her to the ICC-related designation list after a brief removal that followed a federal judge’s injunction. The move comes as appeals processes continue to play out.
The ICCs oversight bureau has suspended Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan and referred him to disciplinary proceedings after finding he had committed serious misconduct. The bureau has sent the case to the Assembly of States Parties, which will hold a special session to decide whether to remove him; Khan denies wrongdoing and will challenge the decision.
Britain, France, Canada, Norway, Australia, New Zealand and others have imposed coordinated sanctions on six settler-linked entities and one individual for financing and enabling violence in the occupied West Bank. France has also barred Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and several settlers from entry. Israel has rejected the measures as "disgraceful."