Arrest Warrants Issued for Israeli and Hamas Leaders
Held Responsible for Civilian Casualty Spread
Netanyahu and Biden Condemn "Anti-Semitism" Backlash
Kareem Khan, Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), is determined to arrest the leadership of Israel and Hamas. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is opposing this, calling it an anti-Semitic act. U.S. President Joe Biden has also expressed support for Israel, stating that treating Israel and Hamas equally is an unfair measure.
In an interview with CNN on the 20th (local time), Prosecutor Khan said, "No one is above the law," and advised, "If there are objections, I recommend raising them freely before the court judges." He added, "Israel has the right and duty to bring back hostages taken by Hamas," but emphasized, "such actions must be carried out in compliance with international law."
This statement targets the leadership of Israel and Hamas. Earlier that day, Prosecutor Khan requested arrest warrants for war crimes against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Yahya Sinwar, the top leader of Gaza, among other leaders of Israel and Hamas. War crimes and crimes against humanity refer to serious violations of international humanitarian law, such as harming civilians unrelated to combat. This is the first time a U.S. allied leader has become a subject of an ICC warrant.
Prosecutor Khan pointed out, "Israel has deliberately and systematically deprived civilians in the Gaza Strip of essentials necessary for survival." Regarding Hamas leadership, he explained, "They are accused of a surprise attack on October 7 last year that caused the deaths of hundreds of Israeli civilians and the capture of at least 245 hostages."
Prime Minister Netanyahu immediately reacted with opposition. He called the ICC arrest warrant request "a disgusting act targeting Israeli soldiers heroically fighting against immoral Hamas murderers," and criticized it as "a complete distortion of reality and anti-Semitism to compare the most moral Israeli army in the world with monsters who commit murder, arson, decapitation, and rape."
President Biden also quickly sided with Netanyahu. In a statement released shortly after the warrant request became known, he called it "absurd" and criticized, "No equivalence exists between Israel and Hamas, regardless of what the ICC prosecutor implies." He further drew a line by saying, "What is happening now is not genocide (by Israel)."
Meanwhile, the ICC operates independently as a permanent war crimes tribunal established in The Hague, Netherlands, under the Rome Statute adopted by the United Nations in 1998. The 124 ICC member countries have an obligation to arrest war crimes suspects and hand them over to the Hague tribunal. However, since countries like the United States, Israel, and Russia are not members, there are observations that actual arrest enforcement is difficult.
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