France was on Wednesday accused of “bowing” to pressure from Benjamin Netanyahu after it confirmed that the Israeli prime minister was immune from prosecution by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The ICC last week issued warrants for Mr Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, the former defence minister, and Mohammed Deif, Hamas military chief, for “crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024”.

The move prompted outrage from Israel and its allies – including the US, which is not a member of the ICC and has rejected its jurisdiction.