The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) stressed the court had jurisdiction to investigate Israeli nationals and asked judges to urgently decide on arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
In court filings made public yesterday, prosecutor Karim Khan urged judges weighing the arrest warrants sought against Israeli officials and Hamas leaders to not delay. “Any unjustified delay in these proceedings detrimentally affects the rights of victims,” he said.
Khan stressed that the court had jurisdiction over Israeli nationals who commit atrocities in the Palestinian territories and asked the judges to dismiss legal challenges filed by several dozen governments and other parties.
“It is settled law that the court has jurisdiction in this situation,” the filing said, dismissing legal arguments based on provisions in the Oslo accords and assertions by Israel that it is carrying out its own investigations into alleged war crimes.
Israel and Palestinian leaders have dismissed allegations of war crimes, and representatives for both sides have criticised Khan’s decision to seek warrants. There is no deadline for judges to decide on warrants.
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