ICC prosecutor: Obtain warrant for Israeli prime minister's arrest to defend international law
ICC prosecutor Khan said he sought a warrant for Netanyahu's arrest, despite objections from Israel and the United States, to protect international law.
"This is a fragile time for the world and if we don't abide by the law, we will have nothing to cling to," International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Imran Khan said in an interview published on May 26, citing his decision to seek arrest warrants for Israel's prime minister and defense minister.
According to him, Latin American, African and Asian countries are watching closely to see if global institutions seek to safeguard international law.
"Will the great powers sincerely say that we have a body that protects international law, or is this system of rules-based order completely meaningless, just a tool of NATO and the postcolonial world, that does not want to apply the law equally?" he said.
Khan is in the spotlight after proposing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as top Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh and Mohamed Deif, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Israel and its allies, including the United States and Britain, reacted harshly and criticized Khan for putting Hamas on an equal footing with Israel. Netanyahu called the move "abhorrent", while US President Joe Biden insisted there was "no equivalence between Israel and Hamas".
In the interview, Khan also stressed that Israel is not like Hamas. "Israel has a democracy and a supreme court so of course they are not like Hamas. Israel has every right to protect its people and bring back hostages, but no one should be allowed to commit war crimes or crimes against humanity," he said.
He also cited some of the charges Israel is facing, including cutting off water supplies, targeting people waiting in line to receive food and killing international aid agency employees.
"This is not the way to wage a war. If such acts are seen as manifestations of compliance with international humanitarian law, then the Geneva Conventions mean nothing," he added.
The ICC, based in The Hague, Netherlands, was established in 2002 to investigate the most serious crimes, including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Unlike the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the ICC does not prosecute states, but only individuals.
Recommendations for Khan's arrest warrant are being considered by an ICC panel of judges, usually in one to several months. If the panel of judges approves Khan's proposal, ICC member states are obliged to enforce arrest warrants if wanted persons set foot on their territory.
