Israeli objections to Netanyahu arrest warrant should be rejected: ICC chief prosecutor

Ahram Online , Wednesday 15 Jan 2025

The International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan has told judges that Israeli objections to the investigation into Israel's 15-month war on Gaza should be rejected.

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A Palestinian man carries an injured girl into a hospital after an Israeli strike, in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. AFP

 

Khan submitted his formal response late Monday to an appeal by Israel over The Hague-based court’s jurisdiction after judges issued arrest warrants in 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister. They were accused of crimes against humanity in connection with the genocidal war in Gaza, AP reported.

Netanyahu, who is also facing corruption charges in his homeland, called the arrest warrant “a black day in the history of nations” and vowed to fight the accusations.

Individuals cannot contest an arrest warrant directly, but Israel can object to the entire investigation. Israel argued in a December filing that it could look into accusations against its leaders on its own.

The ICC, established in 2002, is the permanent court of last resort to prosecute individuals responsible for the world’s most heinous atrocities — war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and the crime of aggression.

The court’s 125 member states include Palestine, Ukraine, Canada, and every country in the European Union. However, dozens of countries, including Israel, the United States, Russia, and China, do not accept its jurisdiction.

Khan’s combined 55-page response states that the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC, allowed it to prosecute crimes committed in the territory of member states, regardless of the perpetrators' origins.

The judges are expected to render a decision in the coming months.

Israel is also facing accusations of committing genocide in Gaza in another international forum. In December 2023, South Africa filed a case against Israel in the UN’s International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians.

Moreover, Ireland formally asked the ICJ in December 2024 to intervene in South Africa’s case against Israel.

Days later, Cuba took a similar step.

Nicaragua, Colombia, Mexico, Libya, Bolivia, Turkey, the Maldives, Chile, Spain, and the State of Palestine also asked the ICJ to intervene in the case.

In January 2024, the ICJ ordered Israel to do all it could to prevent death, destruction, and any "acts of genocide" in its war on Gaza.

Since 7 October 2023, Israel has killed more than 45,885 Palestinians and wounded over 110,000, most of whom are women and children.

Israeli strikes have destroyed most homes and residential units in Gaza, leaving 90 percent of the 2.4 million population displaced in tents.

The casualty figures, excluding those killed under the rubble, amount to a whopping eight percent of the strip's population.

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