The genocidal terrorist group Hamas complained on Monday that Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC), should have sought more arrest warrants for Israeli officials over the war effort in Gaza. No arrest warrant was sought against Hamas, which started the war on October 7th. By committing some of the most barbaric atrocities in human history.
clan chief I was demanded to Arrest warrants for war crimes were issued on Monday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh.
Karim Ahmed Khan, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, speaks during a press conference at the Ministry of Justice in Khartoum, Sudan, on August 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Marwan Ali)
Khan’s request will be considered by a three-judge ICC panel, which could take months to issue a decision.
Since Israel is not a member of the ICC and Hamas is an illegal international terrorist organization whose leaders are holed up in Qatar, which is also not a member, it is highly unlikely that anyone will be arrested or prosecuted. low.
In theory, outstanding warrants could be an inconvenience for someone like Netanyahu or Mr. Gallant if they wanted to travel abroad, since they would be obligated to arrest them.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a press conference at Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, Israel, October 28, 2023. (Abil Sultan/Pool Photo via AP)
However, the ICC issued a warrant in March 2023 to arrest Russian dictator Vladimir Putin for war crimes in Ukraine, and there has been no major impact on Putin’s lifestyle. The biggest problem for Putin so far is Drama There is a dispute over whether South Africa, an ICC member state, would arrest him if he attended a summit in Johannesburg last summer. President Putin ultimately decided not to attend the meeting.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Netanyahu, Gallant and other Israeli officials slammed Hamas leaders said Mr. Khan’s demands were “outrageous,” “shameful” and a “travesty of justice,” and that only Israelis should be charged with war crimes.
Monday Hamas requested He called for the withdrawal of “arrest warrants issued against leaders of the Palestinian resistance movement” and said the ICC was trying to “compare victims to executioners”. This marks the Israeli military’s response to the hundreds of rapes, murders and infanticides committed by Hamas on October 7th.
Hamas was also outraged that Mr. Khan had requested warrants for “just two of the Zionist organization’s war criminals.”
“We appreciate the decision of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants for two Zionist war criminals. We consider these memoranda to be a legal step in the right direction, despite the fact that their issuance was delayed,” the terrorist organization said. Said.
clan chief Said In an interview with CNN on Monday, Hamas leaders said they were accused of “extermination, murder, hostage-taking, rape and custodial sexual assault.” He said the ICC held “various evidence” against the three Hamas leaders, including photos and videos.
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“On October 7, the world was shocked when people were torn from their bedrooms, from their homes, from another kibbutz in Israel,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Khan accused Prime Minister Netanyahu and Mr. Gallant of “causing extermination and causing famine as a means of war, including the denial of humanitarian aid” and “deliberately targeting civilians in conflict.”
“The fact that Hamas fighters need water does not justify denying them water from all civilians in Gaza,” he said.
Khan said that if Israeli officials disagree with his recommendations, “they have the freedom to challenge the judges of the court, regardless of jurisdictional objections, and I encourage them to do so.” said.
The Biden administration’s support for Israel has been a little shaky. intense political pressure Supporters from the pro-Hamas wing of the Democratic Party, emboldened by Mr Khan’s desire to arrest Netanyahu and Mr Gallant, returned to the Israeli side.
“The application by the ICC prosecutor for an arrest warrant against an Israeli leader is outrageous. And let me be clear: no matter what this prosecutor says, there is no equivalence between Israel and Hamas. I mean no,” President Joe Biden said. Said in a statement Monday.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday called Mr Khan’s actions are “grossly misguided” and “disgraceful”.
“Fundamentally, this decision does nothing to help and may even jeopardize ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement aimed at freeing hostages and increasing humanitarian assistance. “It’s something we continue to pursue relentlessly,” he said.
Meanwhile, Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine who supports Hamas, was elated that the International Criminal Court’s request for an arrest warrant against the Israeli leader was a “historic day” for her.
“It’s no small thing that the ICC prosecutor said this.” [is seeking] Arrest warrants have been issued for two Israeli leaders, not just for war crimes…but for crimes committed intentionally and knowingly, calling into question the national policies that have galvanized this campaign against the Gaza population. is being thrown at us,” she said. Said Al Jazeera News.
Albanese is Before She sought to justify Hamas’ atrocities on October 7th as a legitimate Palestinian response to “Israeli oppression.” On Monday, she was willing to acknowledge that Hamas may have committed one or two crimes, but her main complaint was that the International Criminal Court did not investigate October 7. Yes, otherwise it could have forestalled Israel’s reaction.
“Without condoning or justifying the crimes committed by Hamas, these crimes should have been investigated and prosecuted. ” she said.
