Diplomatic pressure applied to delay issuance of ICC warrants: Haaretz

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
14 Aug 2024 14:35

The ICC continues to study the validity of arrest warrants against Israeli and Palestinian officials, as Germany supports Israeli legal claims against them.

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Public Prosecutor Karim Khan prepares for the trial of Mahamat Said Abdel Kani at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, The Netherlands, on September 26, 2022. (AP)

The International Criminal Court (ICC) continues to study whether or not it has jurisdiction over matters concerning "Israel" and Palestine, as Israeli officials struggle to figure out the timeline or expected results of the discussions.

The issue is of particular interest as the ICC prosecutor Karim Khan announced a request for arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Security Minister Yoav Gallant at an earlier time this year.

Khan's decision was subjected to backlash and pressure from "Israel" and its allies, despite the request including three top Palestinian Resistance officials. The Resistance leaders who Khan requested arrest warrants for are the previous Hamas leader, martyr Ismail Haniyeh, current Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar, and al-Qassam Brigades Chief-of-Staff Mohammad Deif.

The court is still studying whether it has the jurisdiction to issue these arrest warrants, an unusual situation that lacks a legal precedent.

Israeli officials familiar with the matter told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that diplomatic pressure is being exerted on the ICC to delay the issuance of the warrants against the Israeli prime minister and his security minister. Yet, the same officials are unsure if these measures will affect the court's final decision.

International support for 'Israel' continues to dwindle

A panel of international judges is expected to rule on the matter, however, no clear timeline on the issue exists. The panel has received legal opinions from several nations, international organizations, and experts.

Among the countries that support the ICC's jurisdiction over the issue were Norway and Ireland. In response to Norway's recognition of the international court's authority, Israeli Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, revoked the diplomatic status of eight Norwegian diplomats to the Israeli regime.

On the other hand, Germany submitted a legal opinion supporting the Israeli regime's position.

Meanwhile, after the change in leadership in the United Kingdom, the Labour government has withdrawn its plan to submit a legal opinion. Under the previous Conservative administration, this opinion was expected to support "Israel's" legal claims. At the time, Katz had requested that 25 countries join Britain and provide an opinion against the ICC prosecutor's request to issue arrest warrants, according to Walla.

The situation is further complicated by "Israel's" extrajudicial assassination of martyr Haniyeh during his visit to Tehran Iran. "Israel" also claims it assassinated al-Qassam leader Deif, however, these assertions have been denied by the Resistance.

"There's no similar precedent we can point to or from which we could learn [what may happen]," an Israeli official told Haaretz.

Khan had requested the warrants on March 17 this year, however, the move has come under continuous criticism and pressure from both "Israel" and members of the US Congress.