In Israel, there was a surprising announcement made by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Karim Khan. His team was scheduled to land in Israel to meet with officials who would present how Israel is following international law in the conflict in Gaza. Despite Israel not recognizing the authority of the court since it is not a member, there were discreet discussions between Israeli officials and the prosecutor’s team to present their actions in accordance with the law. The planned meeting was meant to lead to an official visit by the prosecutor to Israel.
During Khan’s visit in January, he was invited by the families of abductees but it was not an official visit. Now, instead of the planned visit, the prosecutor announced that a request to issue warrants was being submitted. Some in Israel view this as bad faith. The purpose of the visit was to show Khan the Israeli justice system and how the army follows international humanitarian law in Gaza. Israel argues that arrest warrants shouldn’t be issued based on the principle of complementarity, as there is a reliable judicial system already in place.
Following the announcement, Israel began a political campaign to persuade member states of the ICC to condemn the decision and not enforce any potential arrest warrants. The US president has already criticized the decision, and many countries have expressed their support for Israel. The decision on whether to issue arrest warrants will be made by three judges based on the evidence presented. One of the judges has previously ruled that the court can investigate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
It is now up to the judges to decide whether to issue arrest warrants, which could happen within days, weeks, or months. The global community is closely watching the developments, and the outcome will have significant implications for Israel and the ICC.