ICC arrest warrants will further isolate 'Israel': Axios

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Axios
20 May 2024 17:57
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The action is the first of its kind for any major ally of the United States.

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Palestinians search for survivors after an Israeli airstrike on a residential building in Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza on May 19, 2024 (AP)

According to Axios, the recent filing of applications for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is going to further isolate "Israel" globally and put further pressure on the Biden administration to coerce Netanyahu to end the slaughter in Gaza. It might also prompt Congress to pass legislation against the International Criminal Court.

The Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, announced today that his office is filing applications for arrest warrants before Pre-Trial Chamber I of the ICC against Netanyahu and Israeli Security Minister Yoav Gallant, for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on the "territory of the State of Palestine", in the Gaza Strip, from at least 8 October 2023.

This is the first action of its kind taken against any major US partner in addition to any self-proclaimed "democracy."

In his statement, Khan listed those crimes under articles 7 and 8 of the Rome Statute, some of which are "starvation of civilians as a method of warfare," wilfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health, willful killing or murder as a war crime, "intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population" and "persecution as a crime against humanity."

The Chief Prosecutor of the ICC stressed that the evidence his office gathered included interviews with survivors and eyewitnesses, authenticated video, photo and audio material, satellite imagery, and statements from "the alleged perpetrator group," which show that "Israel has intentionally and systematically deprived the civilian population in all parts of Gaza of objects indispensable to human survival."

It is noteworthy that the Chief Prosecutor of the Court also announced applications for arrest warrants against three officials of the Palestinian Resistance: Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, and Mohammad Deif, for their role in Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.

A senior Hamas official, Sami Abu Zuhri, told Reuters that this decision "equates the victim with the executioner," adding that it also encourages "Israel" to continue its "war of extermination" in Gaza.

Rep. senators to ICC chief over Israeli arrests: 'You've been warned'

Earlier, Axios revealed that House Republicans are drafting a bill aimed at imposing sanctions on ICC officials as a "precaution" in response to the possibility of arrest warrants being issued for Israeli officials over war crimes in Gaza.

Karim Khan, chief prosecutor of the ICC, has received a stern warning from 12 Republican senators, threatening him with "severe sanctions" if he issues international arrest warrants for Israeli officials, the news website Zeteo reported.

Khan was warned that any attempt by the ICC to hold Netanyahu and his officials accountable for their crimes in Gaza would be interpreted "not only as a threat to Israel's sovereignty but to the sovereignty of the United States."

“Target Israel and we will target you,” the senators threatened, citing sanctions on Khan's employees and his associates, adding that they and their families would be "barred from the United States."

"You have been warned," the letter brazenly stated.