Hague, 21 May 2024 (TDI): On the 20th of May 2024, the ICC prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan filed an arrest warrant application against Israeli leaders in the International Criminal Court (ICC).
These warrants have been requested against Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, and Yoav Gallant, the Minister of Defense of Israel in particular.
As per the application, both Israeli leaders are criminally liable for perpetrating war crimes and crimes against humanity. Since October 8, 2023, these crimes have been ongoing in the State of Palestine territory and the Gaza Strip.
ICC prosecutor and his team have submitted evidence to ICC judges alleging a violation of international humanitarian law. This includes starvation of civilians as a method of warfare and willful killing.
Additionally, other war crimes include intentional attacks, persecution, hostage-taking, and genocide of the defenseless Palestinians.
Additionally, he has called upon the ICC to maintain impartiality in their investigations.
“It is critical at this moment that my Office and all parts of the Court, including its independent judges, are permitted to conduct their work with full independence and impartiality. I insist that all attempts to impede, intimidate, or improperly influence the officials of this Court must cease immediately,” he said in a statement.
Also Read: ICC investigations trigger Israeli threats against Palestinian Authority
In an exclusive interview, the ICC prosecutor said that nobody was above the law. He said that if Israel does not see eye to eye with the ICC, “they are free to raise a challenge before the judges of the court and that’s what I advise them to do.”
Lastly, Karim Khan’s request for the arrest warrants will now have to be reviewed by an ICC judicial panel.
Any member nation would be obligated to apprehend them and arrange for their extradition to The Hague if the court approves the prosecution’s request and issues arrest warrants.
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