TEL AVIV — Israel is greatly concerned that the International Criminal Court may issue arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and senior military officials as early as this week, an Israeli official told NBC News.
Israel is working through diplomatic channels to try to stop the warrants being issued, the official said Monday.
When asked about media reports of the arrest warrants, the ICC told NBC News that it “has an ongoing independent investigation in relation to the Situation in the State of Palestine" and that "we have no further comment to make at this stage."
The court launched an investigation three years ago into possible war crimes committed by both Israel and Palestinian militants going back to the Israel-Hamas war in 2014. It has given no public indication that arrest warrants are imminent, and it was not clear whether Israel was also expecting arrest warrants for any Hamas leaders.
The news comes as pressure mounts on Israel to halt its military offensive in Gaza, which officials in the Palestinian enclave say has killed more than 34,000 people since it was launched in the wake of the Hamas-led Oct. 7 terror attacks.
Netanyahu spoke with President Joe Biden on Sunday night, and Israel is awaiting a response from Hamas on a new cease-fire proposal.
Karim Khan, who serves as chief prosecutor of the ICC, visited the region in December and said that his investigation was “moving forward at pace, with rigor, with determination and with an insistence that we act not on emotion but on solid evidence.”
Flux_State on April 29th, 2024 at 17:56 UTC »
They've killed more children invading 141 square miles of Gaza than the US army did in invading the entire nation of Iraq.
By any metric, it's hard to pretend this isn't Genocide.
Robotoro23 on April 29th, 2024 at 16:27 UTC »
SS:
Israel is concerned over potential arrest warrants that may be issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and other senior officials.
The ICC has an ongoing investigation into possible war crimes by Israel and Palestinian militants since the 2014 Israel-Hamas war. While no public indication of imminent warrants has been given, Israel is working diplomatically to prevent their issuance.
The ICC’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, asserts that the investigation is progressing based on solid evidence. Israel and the U.S. do not recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction, but the warrants could risk the arrest of Israeli officials abroad.
Apprehensive-Sir7063 on April 29th, 2024 at 16:17 UTC »
I think they will
It'll be ignored
But it may alter western policies towards Israel.
And that means only a matter of time until he is replaced.