ICC chief prosecutor demands immediate decision on Israel and Hamas
The chief prosecutor of the ICC has criticized the lengthy delays in the issuance of arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Sinwar. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC), has urged the court's judges to make a swift decision on the arrest warrants for key leaders from both Israel and Hamas.
In a filing from May, Khan sought to obtain warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as leading Hamas figures Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, and Mohammed Deif, citing their involvement in “war crimes and crimes against humanity” in both Israel and Gaza.
The ICC has allowed 18 countries, including the likes of the US, Germany, and South Africa, along with numerous organizations and individuals, to submit their input regarding the ICC's legal authority over these cases. This includes discussions on whether “Palestine can exercise criminal jurisdiction over Israeli nationals based on the Oslo Accords.”
Khan, in a detailed 49-page submission, pressed the judges to quicken their decision-making process, highlighting that "any unjustified delay in these proceedings detrimentally affects the rights of victims.”
“It is settled law that the Court has jurisdiction in this situation,” Khan noted in his legal brief, dispelling claims questioning the ICC’s authority as “without merit,” and asserting that any counterargument “misunderstands basic concepts of jurisdiction under international law.”
Both Israel and Hamas have strongly rebuffed the allegations of war crimes. Netanyahu criticized these claims as a “disgrace,” while Hamas contended that Khan’s push for arrest warrants wrongly “equates the victim with the executioner.”
Given that Israel is not an ICC member, Netanyahu and Gallant do not immediately face the threat of prosecution, though the existence of arrest warrants might severely limit their international travel.
Following Haniyeh's assassination in Tehran last month, Sinwar has stepped up as his replacement. Israel has announced that Deif was killed in a July airstrike in Gaza, a claim contested by Hamas, asserting Deif is still alive.
Since hostilities broke out in October, ignited by a surprise attack from Hamas, over 40,000 Palestinians have been reported killed. Hamas's operations initially killed around 1,200 individuals in Israel and resulted in more than 200 being taken hostage, though some hostages have been freed in prisoner exchanges or rescued by Israeli forces.
Amidst these developments, South Africa has brought a genocide claim against Israel to the International Court of Justice, a distinct entity from the ICC. Israel has repudiated these charges while accusing Hamas of using civilians in Gaza as human shields.
Lucas Dupont for TROIB News
In a filing from May, Khan sought to obtain warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as leading Hamas figures Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, and Mohammed Deif, citing their involvement in “war crimes and crimes against humanity” in both Israel and Gaza.
The ICC has allowed 18 countries, including the likes of the US, Germany, and South Africa, along with numerous organizations and individuals, to submit their input regarding the ICC's legal authority over these cases. This includes discussions on whether “Palestine can exercise criminal jurisdiction over Israeli nationals based on the Oslo Accords.”
Khan, in a detailed 49-page submission, pressed the judges to quicken their decision-making process, highlighting that "any unjustified delay in these proceedings detrimentally affects the rights of victims.”
“It is settled law that the Court has jurisdiction in this situation,” Khan noted in his legal brief, dispelling claims questioning the ICC’s authority as “without merit,” and asserting that any counterargument “misunderstands basic concepts of jurisdiction under international law.”
Both Israel and Hamas have strongly rebuffed the allegations of war crimes. Netanyahu criticized these claims as a “disgrace,” while Hamas contended that Khan’s push for arrest warrants wrongly “equates the victim with the executioner.”
Given that Israel is not an ICC member, Netanyahu and Gallant do not immediately face the threat of prosecution, though the existence of arrest warrants might severely limit their international travel.
Following Haniyeh's assassination in Tehran last month, Sinwar has stepped up as his replacement. Israel has announced that Deif was killed in a July airstrike in Gaza, a claim contested by Hamas, asserting Deif is still alive.
Since hostilities broke out in October, ignited by a surprise attack from Hamas, over 40,000 Palestinians have been reported killed. Hamas's operations initially killed around 1,200 individuals in Israel and resulted in more than 200 being taken hostage, though some hostages have been freed in prisoner exchanges or rescued by Israeli forces.
Amidst these developments, South Africa has brought a genocide claim against Israel to the International Court of Justice, a distinct entity from the ICC. Israel has repudiated these charges while accusing Hamas of using civilians in Gaza as human shields.
Lucas Dupont for TROIB News
