Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that an arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over his conduct in the Gaza bombardment would not stop him from defending Israel, AFP reports.

“No outrageous anti-Israel decision will prevent us — and it will not prevent me — from continuing to defend our country in every way,” Netanyahu said in a video statement. “We will not yield to pressure,” he vowed.

He described Thursday’s decision as a “dark day in the history of nations”.

“The International Criminal Court in The Hague, which was established to protect humanity, has today become the enemy of humanity,” he said, adding that the accusations were “utterly baseless”.

Netanyahu said the court was accusing Israel of “fictitious crimes”, while ignoring “the real war crimes, horrific war crimes being committed against us and against many others around the world”.

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