Paraguay already party to Rome Statute, unlike the United States
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invited the presidents of Paraguay, Panama and Bolivia to join the Isaac Accords and a U.S.-backed initiative encouraging countries to withdraw from the International Criminal Court during a meeting last week on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, according to Netanyahu’s office and Última Hora.
Panama’s EcoTV reported Netanyahu extended the same invitation to all three countries. The proposal would represent a significant change for Paraguay, which is a party to the Rome Statute that established the court. Paraguay is listed among the court’s member states; the United States is not. Paraguay has not publicly announced a decision about withdrawing from the court.
Paraguay’s government, however, did not mention the ICC proposal in its own account of the meeting. The Paraguayan presidency said the leaders discussed “mechanisms to consolidate lasting security” and efforts to advance a strategic alliance between Israel and Latin America, Última Hora reported. The government said the leaders also reaffirmed shared values and their commitment to fighting terrorism.
Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino separately discussed cooperation with Israel on organized crime and drug trafficking, with Israel proposing expanded cooperation in security, trade and artificial intelligence, according to TVN Panamá.
Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz publicly described the meeting as focused on irrigation technology, water management, agroindustrial development and strengthening production, according to Bolivian newspaper La Razón. Bolivia’s participation drew criticism from former Bolivian President Eduardo Rodríguez Veltzé, who noted that Netanyahu is subject to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant.
Bolivia’s position is particularly notable because the country is a founding member of The Hague Group, established in 2025 in part to support enforcement of the court’s arrest warrants and decisions related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The court’s warrant for Netanyahu was issued in November 2024, with judges finding reasonable grounds to believe he bore criminal responsibility for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity connected to the war in Gaza. The court lists Netanyahu as “at large.” Israel has challenged the court’s jurisdiction and proceedings.
The Isaac Accords, which Netanyahu and Argentine President Javier Milei launched in April, call for cooperation against terrorism, antisemitism and drug trafficking, as well as closer coordination on innovation, technology, trade and economic policy, according to a joint declaration. The declaration says the initiative was inspired by President Donald Trump’s Abraham Accords.