JERUSALEM:
Israel is expressing concern that the International Criminal Court may be preparing to issue arrest warrants for government officials on charges related to the conduct of its war against Hamas.
The ICC – which can charge people with war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide – is investigating the October 7 cross-border attack by Hamas and Israel’s devastating military assault on Hamas-run Gaza, now in its seventh month.
In response to Israeli media reports that the ICC may soon issue arrest warrants for senior Israeli government and military officials, Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Sunday warned Israeli embassies to beef up their security because of the risk of a “wave of serious anti-Semitism.”
“We expect the (ICC) court not to issue arrest warrants against senior Israeli political and security officials,” Katz said. “We will not bow down or be discouraged and will continue to fight.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that any ICC rulings would not affect Israel’s actions, but would set a dangerous precedent.
Israeli officials are concerned that the court may issue arrest warrants against Netanyahu and other top officials for alleged violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza, Israeli media reported.
Also read: UN Commission accuses Israel of obstructing October 7 investigation
They said the ICC is also considering arrest warrants for Hamas leaders.
The Hague-based ICC and Hamas, Gaza’s ruling group, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Israel is not a member of the court and does not recognize its jurisdiction, but the Palestinian territories were admitted to member state status in 2015.
In October, ICC Attorney General Karim Khan said the court has jurisdiction over any war crimes committed by Hamas militants in Israel and by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip.
Khan said his team is actively investigating any crimes allegedly committed in Gaza and that those who break the law will be held accountable.
International isolation
Matthew Gillet, a lecturer in international law at the University of Essex in England, said anyone issued with an arrest warrant would not be able to travel to the more than 120 countries that are members of the ICC, including most European countries, Japan and Australia. or they could be kept.
Zille said that if arrest warrants were issued against Israeli officials, some allied countries could take steps such as reducing arms transfers or reducing diplomatic visits, increasing Israel’s international isolation.
“It would be more difficult for Western liberal democracies to engage with Israel,” he said.
On October 7, Hamas led an attack on Israeli military bases and communities that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 253 hostages, according to Israeli accounts.
Since then, Israel has launched a ground, air and sea assault that has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza authorities, and devastated much of the small, densely populated coastal territory.
Read: Hamas’s resistance to Israeli occupation is justified under international law
Gaza’s health ministry does not distinguish between combatants and non-combatants in its casualty reports, but most of the deaths were civilians, health officials say.
Israel says it is taking precautions to minimize civilian deaths and that at least a third of Gaza deaths are fighters, figures Hamas has rejected.
Israel’s military campaign has displaced most of the 2.3 million residents of the blockaded Palestinian enclave and created a humanitarian crisis.
The case at the ICC is separate from a genocide case brought against Israel at the International Court of Justice, also based in The Hague.
The ICJ, also known as the World Court, is a United Nations court that deals with disputes between states, while the ICC is a treaty-based criminal court that focuses on individual criminal responsibility for war crimes.
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