The International Criminal Court prosecutor said on Monday he had requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Here’s a closer look at the courts and search warrants.
Why did the ICC prosecutor ask for an arrest warrant?
Court prosecutor Karim Khan said in a statement that he was seeking arrest warrants for Hamas’s Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh because he ” “There are reasonable grounds to believe” that they are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity. These include the “killing of hundreds of Israeli civilians” and the taking of at least 245 hostages in a Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7.
Hamas officials “planned and instigated the commission of crimes” that day, Khan said, and they “acknowledged their responsibility for these crimes” through actions such as personally visiting hostages shortly after they were abducted.
Mr Khan also said he had requested arrest warrants for Mr Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant because he believed they were responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including starvation of civilians as weapons of war and “intentional” direct attacks on civilians. “
Khan said the crimes were “part of a widespread and systematic attack on Palestinian civilians”. He also said that in his office’s view, some criminal conduct “continues to this day.”
What is the International Criminal Court?
The ICC is the world’s only permanent international court that can prosecute individuals accused of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. It was established in 2002 to investigate these crimes under the 1998 Rome Statute. Previously, the UN Security Council had established specialized tribunals to deal with atrocities in places such as the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda.
The International Criminal Court, headquartered in the Dutch city of The Hague, has long been a center of international law and justice.It is separate from the ICJ, an international tribunal based in The Hague that is currently assessing a charge brought by South Africa that Israel Genocide in Gaza. Israel strongly denies the accusation.
Many democracies have joined the ICC, including close allies of the United States such as the United Kingdom. Israel is not a member of the court, and the United States has long distanced itself, fearing the court might one day try to prosecute American officials. Russia is also not a member.
Last year, the International Criminal Court issue arrest warrant President Vladimir V. Putin and another Russian official said they were personally criminally responsible for the abduction and deportation of Ukrainian children in 2022 following Russia’s sweeping invasion of Ukraine.
What does a warrant mean to an officer?
Mr Khan’s request must still be approved by a court judge. The fact that Israel is not a member of the court means that it does not recognize its jurisdiction in Israel or Gaza. But if arrest warrants are issued, Mr Netanyahu, Mr Galante and Hamas officials could be arrested if they go to one of the courts. 124 member countrieswhich includes most European countries.
The International Criminal Court cannot Defendant tried in absentia, does not have a police force and relies on its members to make arrests. After arrest, suspects are usually transferred to The Hague to appear in court.
Still, the arrest warrant represents one of the strongest condemnations of Israel’s war tactics against Hamas and the harm it has caused to civilians in Gaza. It also intensified scrutiny of the October 7 attack by Hamas that killed more than 1,000 people.
On Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said he had ordered the immediate formation of a special committee aimed at opposing the decision, which he said was “aim, above all, to tie the hands of the State of Israel and to deprive it of its sovereignty.” Right of self-defense. “
He said the prosecutor’s “shameful” decision “is an unrestrained frontal attack on the victims of October 7 and our 128 hostages in Gaza.”
In a statement on Telegram, Hamas condemned the arrest warrant for its leader. The report said prosecutors should demand the arrest not only of Netanyahu and Galante, but also of all “leaders, officers and soldiers involved in crimes against the Palestinian people.”
