Israel has told the International Criminal Court on Wednesday that it will appeal against arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister, AFP reports.

It also asked the court to suspend the warrants for Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant pending the outcome of the appeal, the prime minister’s office said in a statement.

“The State of Israel challenges the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the legitimacy of the arrest warrants issued,” Netanyahu’s office said.

“If the court rejects this request, it will further demonstrate to Israel’s friends in the United States and around the world how biased the International Criminal Court is against the State of Israel,” it added.