ICC prosecutor pushes for rejection of appeal on arrest warrant for Israeli officials

The International Criminal Court’s Prosecutor Karim Khan submitted his formal response late Monday to Israel’s appeal challenging the court’s jurisdiction.

Khan told judges that Israeli objections to the investigation into the 13-month-long campaign of death and destruction in the besieged Palestinian territory should be rejected.

Khan noted that the ICC court has jurisdiction over the most serious crimes facing the international community as a whole, namely genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

In his combined 55-page response, Khan argues that under the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC, the court has the authority to prosecute crimes committed within the territory of member states, regardless of the nationality of the perpetrators.

The court’s 125 member states include Palestine, but the Tel Aviv regime is not a signatory to the Rome Statute.

Netanyahu, who called the arrest warrant a black day in the occupied entity, has vowed to contest the allegations.

Last year, the ICC, based in The Hague, issued warrants for the arrest of Netanyahu and Gallant for crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza. Israeli authorities are also accused of using hunger as a weapon in Gaza.

ICC judges are expected to deliver a decision on the matter in the coming months.

In January 2024, the international court of justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel must take all measures within its power to prevent genocide in Gaza. However, the regime has ignored the court’s verdict.

Cuba has now officially declared its intention to join South Africa’s case against Israel at the ICJ. Cuba is the 14th country to join the case.

In December 2023, South Africa initiated legal proceedings against Israel, accusing it of breaching the Genocide Convention in its treatment of Palestinians in Gaza.