ICC prosecutor opted for warrants over Gaza

5/7/2024 18:17

        On May 20, the same day International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan made a surprise request for warrants to arrest the leaders of Israel and Hamas involved in the Gaza conflict, he suddenly cancelled a sensitive mission to collect evidence in the region.
        
        Planning for the visit had been under way for months with U.S. officials.
        
        Khan's decision to request the warrants upended the plans backed by Washington and London for the prosecutor and his team to visit Gaza and Israel. The court was set to gather on-site evidence of war crimes and offer Israeli leaders a first opportunity to present their position and any action they were taking to respond to the allegations of war crimes.
        
        Khan's request for a warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - the court's first attempt to detain a sitting, Western-backed head of state - also flew in the face of efforts the U.S. and Britain were leading to prevent the court from prosecuting Israeli leaders.
        
        The two states have said the court has no jurisdiction over Israel and that seeking warrants would not help resolve the conflict.