Which countries are International Criminal Court members?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu travelled to the United States earlier this week to meet with President Donald Trump.

On his flight from Hungary to the US, Netanyahu avoided flying over certain European countries that might enforce the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against him in the event of an emergency landing, according to Israeli media. The detour added roughly 400 km (250 miles) to his journey.

Last November, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and his former defence minister for alleged war crimes against Palestinians in Gaza.

The ICC is an independent court based in The Hague, Netherlands, that prosecutes individuals accused of committing serious international crimes like genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression.

It is the first court with the authority to hold individuals criminally accountable for these crimes, rather than states or organisations, with member states required to arrest those subject to ICC warrants.

The ICC was established in 2002 following the adoption of the Rome Statute in 1998.

The Rome Statute is the treaty that outlines the rules for how the ICC operates.

Adopted in 1998 during a diplomatic conference in Rome, Italy, it was where nations worldwide came together to create a justice system for addressing the most serious crimes against humanity.

As of April 2025, 137 countries had signed the Rome Statute – indicating their intention to join – while 125 of them had formally ratified it, becoming full member states of the ICC.