The three judges who made the decision hail from Benin, France, and Slovenia, but were elected by all 124 member states of the ICC and went through a rigorous vetting process. Their months-long deliberations included engaging with the Israeli government and assessing its claim that its own courts could handle the matter.

The International Criminal Court’s warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant target two Israeli leaders. But they create tensions across a net of Western allegiances, especially in Europe.