The chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court said Monday he is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar on war crimes charges.<\/p>\n
Karim Khan said in a statement that the charges relate to the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by the Hamas militant group, and to the Israeli military response in Gaza. A panel of ICC judges will consider whether or not to accept the application.<\/p>\n
The decision to seek charges against the Israeli leader comes despite a U.S. warning that it could jeopardize the chance for a cease-fire deal. The Israeli government also slammed the move, calling it a \u201cdeep distortion of justice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe submit that the crimes against humanity charged were committed as part of a widespread and systematic attack against the Palestinian civilian population pursuant to state policy,\u201d Khan wrote. \u201cThese crimes, in our assessment, continue to this day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Khan is also seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and two other Hamas leaders, military chief Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri and political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh. Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the European Union.<\/p>\n
The Israeli government had been worried about possible arrest warrants for its leadership and the U.S. has been publicly opposed to the ICC investigation.<\/p>\n
\u201cDrawing parallels between the leaders of a democratic country determined to defend itself from despicable terror to leaders of a blood-thirsty terror organization is a deep distortion of justice and blatant moral bankruptcy,\u201d Benny Gantz, an Israeli opposition leader in the country\u2019s three-man war cabinet, said in a post on social media outlet X on Monday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe prosecutor\u2019s position to apply for arrest warrants is in itself a crime of historic proportion to be remembered for generations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, the ICC ordered an end to attempts to threaten its officials, days after the U.S. and allies raised concerns that the court may issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been really clear about the ICC investigation \u2014 we do not support it,\u201d White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters last month. \u201cWe don\u2019t believe that they have the jurisdiction.\u201d<\/p>\n
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid called the decision unforgivable. \u201cI expect and believe that the Biden administration will stand behind us and we expect Congress to come together and condemn these arrest warrants,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Some Western politicians welcomed the announcement. The request \u201cfor arrest warrants against both Hamas and Israeli officials is an important step in the investigation of the situation in Palestine,\u201d said Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib in a post on X, adding that crimes in Gaza must be prosecuted \u201cat the highest level, regardless of the perpetrators.\u201d<\/p>\n
The ICC investigates and tries individuals charged with genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression. Israel hasn\u2019t ratified the ICC\u2019s statute and doesn\u2019t recognize its jurisdiction but the \u201cState of Palestine\u201d has been a member of the court since 2015. The U.S. has also never been a party to the ICC.<\/p>\n
Last year, the court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes related to the alleged abduction of children from Ukraine, a move that was dismissed by the Kremlin.<\/p>\n
\u2014With assistance from Ethan Bronner and Galit Altstein.<\/p>\n
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