The ICC has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Netanyahu and Hamas – National officials
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former defense minister and Hamas officials, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity over the Gaza conflict and the October 2023 attack that triggered Israel’s invasion of Palestine. field.
The decision turns Netanyahu and others into international wanted suspects and is likely to further divide them and complicate efforts to negotiate an end to the 13-month conflict. But its practical effects could be limited as Israel and its main ally, the United States, are not members of the court and several Hamas officials have been killed in the aftermath of the conflict.
Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders condemned the request by ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan, calling it disgraceful and anti-Semitic. American President Joe Biden also criticized the prosecutor and expressed support for Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas. Hamas has also condemned the request.
“The Chamber found that there are reasonable grounds to believe that both individuals willfully and intentionally deprived the citizens of Gaza of essential items for survival, including food, water, medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity,” the three-judge panel wrote in its unanimous decision to extradite Netanyahu and and former defense minister, Yoav Gallant.
The court also issued an arrest warrant for Mohammed Deif, one of the leaders of Hamas. The ICC chief prosecutor also sought warrants for other Hamas officials, Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh, but both were killed in the conflict.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said in September it had filed two legal briefs challenging the ICC’s jurisdiction and argued that the court had not given Israel a chance to investigate the allegations on its own before requesting the documents.
“No other democracy with an independent and respected system like the one in Israel has been treated this way by the Prosecutor,” State Department spokesman Oren Marmorstein wrote of X. of law and justice” and would continue to protect its citizens in wars.
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The ICC is the court of last resort that only prosecutes cases that domestic law enforcement cannot or will not investigate. Israel is not a member state of the court. The country has struggled to investigate them in the past, rights groups say.
Despite these assurances, none of the suspects are likely to face the judges in The Hague anytime soon. The court itself has no police force to enforce its mandates, instead relying on the cooperation of its member states.
However, the threat of arrest could make it difficult for Netanyahu and Gallant to travel abroad, although Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is wanted by the ICC on charges related to the war in Ukraine, has recently indicated that he can still visit his partner when he travels. he went to Mongolia, which is one of the member countries of the court, he was not arrested.
Khan sought warrants in May, accusing Netanyahu and Gallant of crimes including murder, deliberate attacks on civilians, and persecution.
In a statement at the time, Khan accused Israel of “deliberately and systematically depriving civilians in all parts of Gaza of the essentials for human survival” by closing border crossings into the area and restricting essential supplies including food and medicine.
At the same time, he accused three Hamas leaders – Sinwar, Deif and Haniyeh – of crimes related to the Oct. 7 attack. the leaders are accused of crimes including murder, extermination, kidnapping, rape and torture.
“The Chamber found reasonable grounds to believe that Mr. Deif, born in 1965, who was the supreme commander of the military wing of Hamas (known as al-Qassam Brigades) at the time of the alleged conduct, is guilty of crimes against humanity. murder; extermination; torture; and and rape and other forms of sexual violence, as well as war crimes, torture, and the taking of hostages of human dignity; and rape and other forms of sexual violence,” said the statement.
Prosecutors have withdrawn their request for a warrant for Haniyeh, who was killed in a strike believed to be by Israel in Iran in July. Israel also claims to have killed Deif, but Hamas has not confirmed his death. Sinwar, who was promoted to Haniyeh’s successor, was killed in an encounter with Israeli forces in October.
Human rights organizations applauded the decision, which came more than six months after Khan made his first request.
“The ICC’s arrest warrants for senior Israeli leaders and a senior Hamas official violate the notion that certain individuals are above the law,” said Balkees Jarrah, global justice director at Human Rights Watch, in a statement.
Israel’s opposition leaders strongly criticized the ICC’s action.
Benny Gantz, a retired general and a political rival of Netanyahu, criticized the decision, saying it showed “moral blindness” and was “a shameful background to an unforgettable part of history.”
Yair Lapid, another opposition leader, called it a “prize for fear.”
© 2024 The Canadian Press
