Archiv: 20-05-2024 ICC prosecutor Karim Khan files applications for arrest warrants against Israeli State and Hamas leadership / case dragged on by ICC pre-trial judges / finally issued on 21-11-2024


03.12.2024 - 04:06 [ Ofer Cassif / Guardian ]

I was suspended from Israel’s Knesset for highlighting the tyranny of Netanyahu. Help us to oppose him

(November 29, 2024)

I am not alone in opposing his tyranny. The consistent political opposition inside Israel itself, made up of democratic Jews and Arab citizens, finds the notion of democracy in Israel under Netanyahu absurd too. Democracy in Israel never really existed, owing to the state of Israel’s definition as an ethnic concept, antithetical to political egalitarianism.

A state that under its basic laws declares one group politically superior to the other cannot be regarded as a democracy, but as an ethnocracy. Since its formation, Israel has been pursuing discriminatory policies towards its own Palestinian citizens in all spheres of life – housing, employment, welfare and education. Even the supposed Israeli bill of rights, the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty, doesn’t dare to mention the right to equality.

01.12.2024 - 22:29 [ Middle East Eye ]

Gulf Cooperation Council summit‘s points on Gaza

– The council condemned Israel‘s aggression in Gaza, and said it reaffirmed its stance demanding an „immediate and permanent cessation of Israeli military operations“ and lifting the blockade on Gaza.

– The council said Israel bears „full responsibility“ for its targeting and assault on civilians in Gaza, and said these attacks were war crimes and crimes against humanity.

– The council welcomed the International Criminal Court‘s decision to issue arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant.

– The council said Israel‘s ongoing war on Gaza is a part of „a genocide and ethnic cleansing agenda“, and condemned Israel‘s attacks on hospitals and on aid workers in Gaza.

01.12.2024 - 22:18 [ AlMayadeen.net ]

GCC Summit in Kuwait urges immediate ceasefire, aid for Gaza

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders convened in Kuwait on Sunday, issuing a unified call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza amid „Israel‘s“ ongoing genocidal campaign.

The summit‘s final statement urged a complete halt to military operations, the delivery of humanitarian aid, and the establishment of safe corridors for civilians in the beleaguered Palestinian territory.

30.11.2024 - 02:28 [ MintPressNews.com ]

Six Months of Lies and Pressure: How US and Israeli Interference Stalled Netanyahu’s ICC Arrest Warrant

(November 22, 2024)

More than six months after the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor sought arrest warrants for Israel’s prime minister and defense minister, a ruling was finally issued Thursday. In the interim, both Israel and the United States took unprecedented steps to obstruct the court’s decision-making process.

26.11.2024 - 19:00 [ IsraelHayom.com ]

Herzi Halevi attends chiefs of staff conference in Britain

srael Hayom has learned that IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi participated in a Chiefs of Staff conference in Britain over the past two days. This is considered an unusual step, amid the ongoing war in Gaza and Lebanon.

Halevi departed two days ago and returned last night (Monday-Tuesday). During his two-day visit, against the backdrop of de-escalation efforts in northern Israel, Halevi met with Chiefs of Staff from various countries and provided an overview of the situation in the Middle East.

25.11.2024 - 00:59 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

Hadash Backs ICC Decision: Netanyahu and Gallant Have to Pay for Destruction of Gaza and Mass Murder

(November 22, 2024)

All leaders of the Zionist parties slammed the International the ICC’s decision. “Israel is defending itself against terrorist organizations that attacked, murdered and raped our citizens. These arrest warrants are a reward for terrorism,” Zionists opposition leader MK Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) declared. The ICC’s decision constitutes “moral blindness and a shameful stain of historic proportion that will never be forgotten,” National Unity chief MK Benny Gantz, a former member of Netanyahu’s war cabinet, tweets.

Only Hadash (Demorcratic Front for Peace and Equality – Communist Party of Israel) ICC’s announcement. In a statement, Hadash declares “the ICC in The Hague decided based on clear evidence that the Gaza war is a war full of serious war crimes and crimes against humanity.” “Netanyahu and Gallant are responsible for the total destruction of Gaza and the mass murder of its residents. They must pay a price for it,” the Front states, calling for an immediate end to the war in Gaza and Lebanon.

23.11.2024 - 20:20 [ Middle East Eye ]

ICC arrest warrants: The Palestinians have prevailed in the ‚legitimacy war‘

We should remember that Palestine is a party to the ICC treaty.

Thus, if either Netanyahu or Gallant were to set foot in the occupied Palestinian territories of Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, the governmental authority in Ramallah would be legally obliged to make arrests.

Yet it would test the bravery of the Palestinian Authority far beyond its past behaviour if it dared to arrest an Israeli leader, however strong the evidence against him.

23.11.2024 - 20:02 [ Middle East Eye ]

The PLO’s patient strategy of turning to ICC paying off with arrest warrants

Three days after the war ended, on 21 January 2009, the PA filed a declaration with the ICC seeking to allow the court jurisdiction over the occupied Palestinian territories.

Under Article 12(3) of the Rome Statute – the treaty that established the ICC – non-members of the ICC can file a declaration granting the court jurisdiction to investigate crimes committed within their territory after a specified date. Ukraine has adopted this approach to address alleged Russian crimes.

After much deliberation, the ICC rejected Palestine’s declaration on the grounds that Article 12(3) of the Rome Statute only applied to “states”.

However, when Palestine was recognised as a non-member observer state at the UN following a General Assembly vote in late 2012, it opened up the possibility not only of filing a declaration with the ICC but also of attaining full membership.

23.11.2024 - 17:52 [ JustSecurity.org ]

Mapping State Reactions to the ICC Warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant

We have begun the project of collecting, analyzing, and categorizing official statements in response to the ICC’s announcement, which we consolidate below and will continue to update. If we have missed anything, please send us an email at lte@justsecurity.org.

23.11.2024 - 17:11 [ FirstPost.com ]

Biden calls ICC arrest warrant against Netanyahu ‚outrageous‘ as Italy, Netherlands vow to follow court‘s ruling

“Whatever the ICC might imply, there is no equivalence – none – between Israel and Hamas,” the POTUS said shortly after the international tribunal issued the arrest warrants against the Israeli leaders on suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

“We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security,” he added. Earlier today, the White House released a separate statement over the matter in which they outrightly rejected that court’s ruling.

23.11.2024 - 17:04 [ White House ]

Statement from President Joe Biden on Warrants Issued by the International Criminal Court

(November 21, 2024)

The ICC issuance of arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is outrageous. Let me be clear once again: whatever the ICC might imply, there is no equivalence — none — between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security.

23.11.2024 - 16:52 [ Asssociated Press ]

Middle East latest: ICC issues warrant for Israel’s Netanyahu as Gaza death toll soars past 44,000

(November 22, 2024)

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister and a Hamas military leader, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The announcement came as health officials in the Gaza Strip said the death toll from the 13-month-old war between Israel and Hamas has surpassed 44,000.

21.11.2024 - 22:15 [ European Union External Action (EEAS) / Auswärtiger Dienst der Europäischen Union ]

Jordan: Press remarks by the High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell after meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi

Q. [Inaudible… on the ICC arrest warrant against Netanyahu and Galant] How do you look at this in Jordan? The same question also is addressed to Mister Borrell, how do you view this International Criminal Court (ICC) resolution? Do you believe that the European Union and the international community can implement this decision or resolution or not?

Thank you. As I said before, the tragedy in Gaza has to stop. Now, I will be very sober in my comment. It is not a political decision. It is a decision of a Court, of a Court of Justice, of the International Criminal Court. The decisions of the courts have to be respected and implemented. So, I take note of the decision of the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants for Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu, the former Minister of Defence Mister [Yoav] Gallant, and the Hamas’ leaders. This decision is a binding decision and all States, all States parties of the [Rome Statute of] Court, which include all members of the European Union, are bound to implement this court decision.

21.11.2024 - 22:05 [ News.am ]

Borrell on ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu: Court decision must be respected and honored

EU diplomatic chief Josep Borrell reacted during a press conference on Thursday to the news about the issuance of an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the country‘s former Defense Minister Yoav Galant.

He said the warrants issued by the Court are not political and the court‘s decision should be respected and implemented, Euronews reported.

21.11.2024 - 21:37 [ Middle East Eye ]

UK refuses to say if Netanyahu would be arrested on British soil following ICC warrant

The UK‘s International Criminal Court Act, signed in 2001, enforces compliance with the court

21.11.2024 - 21:25 [ Telegraph.co.uk ]

Starmer backs ICC over arrest warrant for Netanyahu

Sir Keir Starmer has backed the International Criminal Court (ICC) after it issued an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister.

When asked about the issue, Sir Keir’s official spokesman said the Government respected the independence of the court.

He declined to say whether Mr Netanyahu would be arrested if he arrived in the UK.

21.11.2024 - 21:00 [ Middle East Eye ]

Full list of 124 countries that must arrest Netanyahu for the ICC

Here is the full list of all the state signatories to the ICC, who are obliged to act on the warrants:
A

Afghanistan

Albania

Andorra

Antigua and Barbuda

Argentina

Armenia

Australia

Austria

Bangladesh

Barbados

Belgium

Belize

Benin

Bolivia

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Botswana

Brazil

Bulgaria

Burkina Faso

Cabo Verde

Cambodia

Canada

Central African Republic

Chad

Chile

Colombia

Comoros

Congo

Cook Islands

Costa Rica

Cote d’Ivoire

Croatia

Cyprus

Czech Republic

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Denmark

Djibouti

Dominica

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

El Salvador

Estonia

Fiji

Finland

France

Gabon

Gambia

Georgia

Germany

Ghana

Greece

Grenada

Guatemala

Guinea

Guyana

Honduras

Hungary

Iceland

Ireland

Italy

Japan

Jordan

Kenya

Kiribati

Latvia

Lesotho

Liberia

Liechtenstein

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Madagascar

Malawi

Maldives

Mali

Malta

Marshall Islands

Mauritius

Mexico

Mongolia

Montenegro

Namibia

Nauru

Netherlands

New Zealand

Niger

Nigeria

North Macedonia

Norway

Panama

Paraguay

Peru

Poland

Portugal

Republic of Korea

Republic of Moldova

Romania

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Lucia

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Samoa

San Marino

Senegal

Serbia

Seychelles

Sierra Leone

Slovakia

Slovenia

South Africa

Spain

State of Palestine

Suriname

Sweden

Switzerland
T

Tanzania

Tajikistan

Timor-Leste

Trinidad and Tobago

Tunisia
U

Uganda

United Kingdom

Uruguay
V

Vanuatu

Venezuela
Z

Zambia

21.11.2024 - 20:10 [ International Criminal Court ]

Statement of ICC Prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan KC on the issuance of arrest warrants in the Situation in the State of Palestine

Today, our collective mind and focus should be on the victims of international crimes in Israel and in the State of Palestine. In my own meetings with the victims and families of hostages taken from kibbutzim, and with victims from Gaza who have lost so many loved ones, I have underlined that the law is there for all, that its role is to vindicate the rights of all persons.

21.11.2024 - 19:55 [ International Criminal Court ]

Situation in the State of Palestine: ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I rejects the State of Israel’s challenges to jurisdiction and issues warrants of arrest for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant

Today, on 21 November 2024, Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (‘Court’), in its composition for the Situation in the State of Palestine, unanimously issued two decisions rejecting challenges by the State of Israel (‘Israel’) brought under articles 18 and 19 of the Rome Statute (the ‘Statute’). It also issued warrants of arrest for Mr Benjamin Netanyahu and Mr Yoav Gallant.

21.11.2024 - 19:44 [ International Criminal Court ]

Situation in the State of Palestine: ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I issues warrant of arrest for Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri (Deif)

Today, on 21 November 2024, Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (‘Court’), in its composition for the Situation in the State of Palestine, unanimously issued a warrant of arrest for Mr Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri, commonly known as ‘Deif’, for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes committed on the territory of the State of Israel and the State of Palestine from at least 7 October 2023.

The Prosecution had initially filed applications for warrants of arrest for two other senior leaders of Hamas, namely Mr Ismail Haniyeh and Mr Yahya Sinwar. Following confirmation of their deaths, the Chamber granted the withdrawal of the applications on 9 August 2024 and 25 October 2024, respectively. With respect to Mr Deif, the Prosecution indicated that it would continue to gather information with respect to his reported death.

20.11.2024 - 22:41 [ Middle East Eye ]

Francesca Albanese: ICC should seek more arrest warrants for Israeli leaders

„There should be more in the dock, in my view. And it‘s taking ages. This is because the political pressure on the international justice system is extreme.

„And we see pressure on the prosecutor, pressure on the judges. Israel is trying to obstruct it by moving exceptions against the independence of the judges. And the US is making pressure through open threats,“ she added.

According to Albanese, the failure to issue arrest warrants is putting international justice on the edge.

„We might lose what we have, what we have built. Multilateralism is on the edge, and international law is on a knife‘s edge.

„It‘s about us, all of us students, doctors, professors, journalists, ordinary people in the street to protect it if our elected government officials don‘t do that.“

20.11.2024 - 22:03 [ Middle East Eye / Youtube ]

‚International law is on a knife‘s edge‘ | Francesca Albanese | One on One

In this episode of One on One, journalist and news editor Sondos Asem is sitting down with Francesca Albanese, an outspoken international human rights lawyer and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967. She is the 8th person to hold that role, and the first woman.

She is a self-described “reluctant chronicler of Genocide”, as she has been one of the most vocal critics of Israel’s onslaught on Gaza since 7 October. Within the past year, she has submitted two reports to the UN human rights council, where she outlined her legal opinion on why the attacks on the Palestinian population constitute genocide.

Middle East Eye spoke to her on 13 November, during her visit to London, where she was invited to speak at several university campuses.

15.11.2024 - 13:32 [ Middle East Eye ]

UK urged to share Gaza spy planes footage with ICC war crimes probe

(October 30, 2024)

The defence ministry told Middle East Eye: “As a matter of principle, we only provide intelligence to our allies where we are satisfied that it will be used in accordance with International Humanitarian Law, and in this instance, only information relating to hostage rescue is passed to the Israeli authorities.”
(…)
Brendan O’Hara, the Scottish National Party’s spokesperson for the Middle East, told MEE it was “inconceivable”, given the scale of the destruction and death in Gaza, that the flights “do not contain footage which would be of significant interest to the investigators from the International Criminal Court”.
(…)
Labour MP Rachael Maskell told MEE: “It is crucial that any intelligence of breaches of international law are shared with the courts so they can assess the evidence and secure justice.”

“I trust that the UK government is working with the international courts to aid them in their work.”

14.11.2024 - 19:55 [ Human Rights Watch ]

“Hopeless, Starving, and Besieged”: Israel’s Forced Displacement of Palestinians in Gaza

To All Governments

– Publicly condemn Israel’s forced displacement of the civilian population in Gaza as a war crime and crime against humanity, as well as other violations of international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and international criminal law by Israeli authorities, and urge them to immediately halt those crimes and cooperate with international judicial bodies and investigative mechanisms.

– Increase public and private pressure on the Israeli government to stop violating international humanitarian law in the conduct of hostilities, to fully comply with its obligations and the binding orders and advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice, and to ensure the entry and safe distribution throughout Gaza of adequate aid and provision of basic services. Consider, in that regard, the review and possible suspension of bilateral agreements with Israel, such as the EU-Israel Association Agreement, as proposed by the governments of Spain and Ireland, and the US-Israel Free Trade Agreement.

– Suspend military assistance and arms sales to Israel so long as its forces commit violations of international humanitarian law with impunity.

– Enforce domestic legislation limiting the transfer of arms and military assistance for violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.

– Publicly support the International Criminal Court, uphold the court’s independence, and publicly condemn efforts to intimidate or interfere with its work, officials, and those cooperating with the institution.

– Urge the Government of Israel to grant access to independent, international monitors, including from the UN Special Procedures.

– Impose targeted sanctions, including travel bans and asset freezes, against Israeli officials credibly implicated in ongoing serious violations, for the purpose of ending these violations.

– Address long-standing impunity by Israeli authorities and Palestinian armed groups for serious crimes under international law, and support reparations for all victims of gross human rights abuses.

– Support the creation of a register of damages, caused by unlawful Israeli action to persons in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, for the purposes of calculating reparations.

(…)

To the Prosecutor of the International Crimin19al Court

– Investigate Israeli authorities’ forced displacement and prevention of the right to return as a crime against humanity.

03.11.2024 - 13:47 [ Anadolu ]

Netanyahu arrest warrant delayed in ICC for 5 months

(October 29, 2024)

Delays in the Palestine investigation trace back to 2015 when former ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda initiated a preliminary examination. Although the investigation met the necessary criteria in 2019, it was postponed due to jurisdiction debates over Palestinian territories. The formal investigation began in March 2021, yet no meaningful progress has been made, further delaying requests against Netanyahu and Gallant.

03.11.2024 - 13:10 [ Guardian ]

Spying, hacking and intimidation: Israel’s nine-year ‘war’ on the ICC exposed

(May 28, 2024)

Thanks to their comprehensive access to Palestinian telecoms infrastructure, the sources said, intelligence operatives could capture the calls without installing spyware on the ICC official’s devices.

“If Fatou Bensouda spoke to any person in the West Bank or Gaza, then that phone call would enter [intercept] systems,” one source said. Another said there was no hesitation internally over spying on the prosecutor, adding: “With Bensouda, she’s black and African, so who cares?”

The surveillance system did not capture calls between ICC officials and anyone outside Palestine. However, multiple sources said the system required the active selection of the overseas phone numbers of ICC officials whose calls Israeli intelligence agencies decided to listen to.

According to one Israeli source, a large whiteboard in an Israeli intelligence department contained the names of about 60 people under surveillance – half of them Palestinians and half from other countries, including UN officials and ICC personnel.

In The Hague, Bensouda and her senior staff were alerted by security advisers and via diplomatic channels that Israel was monitoring their work.

03.11.2024 - 13:03 [ 20min.ch ]

Strafgerichtshof: Bedrohte der Mossad die Chefanklägerin und ihre Familie?

(May 28, 2024)

Die Haftbefehle für Benjamin Netanyahu und Yoav Gallant, die der internationale Strafgerichtshof (IStGH) letzte Woche ausgeschrieben hatte, beziehen sich zwar auf Verbrechen, die die israelische Führung während des neuen Gaza-Krieges begangen haben soll, die Untersuchungen begannen aber bereits 2015.

Damals eröffnete die damalige Chefanklägerin des Internationalen Strafgerichtshofs, Fatou Bensouda, die Überprüfung von Vorwürfen gegen Einzelpersonen im Gazastreifen, im Westjordanland und in Ostjerusalem.

03.11.2024 - 12:34 [ Guardian ]

Revealed: Israeli spy chief ‘threatened’ ICC prosecutor over war crimes inquiry

(May 28, 2024)

The former head of the Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence agency, allegedly threatened a chief prosecutor of the international criminal court in a series of secret meetings in which he tried to pressure her into abandoning a war crimes investigation, the Guardian can reveal.

Yossi Cohen’s covert contacts with the ICC’s then prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, took place in the years leading up to her decision to open a formal investigation into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in occupied Palestinian territories.

That investigation, launched in 2021, culminated last week when Bensouda’s successor, Karim Khan, announced that he was seeking an arrest warrant for the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, over the country’s conduct in its war in Gaza.

(…)

After the surprise meeting with Kabila and Bensouda in New York, Cohen repeatedly phoned the chief prosecutor and sought meetings with her, three sources recalled. According to two people familiar with the situation, at one stage Bensouda asked Cohen how he had obtained her phone number, to which he replied: “Did you forget what I do for a living?”

02.11.2024 - 21:21 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

Witch Hunt in Israel Against Peace Activists and Haaretz Editor

Israel’s Justice Minister Yariv Levin has announced Thursday, October 31, he’s pushing a bill to impose 20-year prison sentences on Israelis who advocate for sanctions against the country or its leaders. In other words: 20-year prison sentence for exercising freedom of speech in Israel.

The far-right government craziness in Israel is intensifying after a “Call for International Pressure,” initiated by Academy for Equality activists, was wide-world published last week and signed by over three thousands petitioners, including a group of leading Israeli academics, among them: Anat Matar, Smadar Ben-Natan, Moshé Behar, Tamir Sorek, Rafi Greenberg, Shira Klein, Lior Sternfeld, Ophira Gamliel, Hilla Dayan, Regev Nathansohn, Uri Hadar, Snait Gissis, Amalia Saar, Avishai Ehrlich, Efraim Davidi, Maya Rosenfeld, Avraham Oz, Ronnen Ben-Arie, Yael Berda, Anat Biletzki, Sivan Rajuan Shtang, Hannan Hever, Orly Lubin, Raz Chen-Morris, Hannah Safran, Revital Madar, Ilana Hairston, Amos Goldberg, Tamar Hager and Miriam Eliav-Feldon.

The petition stated, “We, Israeli citizens, living in Israel and abroad, are calling on the international community – the United Nations and its institutions, the United States, the European Union, the Arab League and all the countries of the world – to intervene immediately and apply every possible sanction… put real pressure on Israel for an immediate ceasefire.”

29.10.2024 - 23:10 [ Umair Malik / Twitter ]

this is the biggest blunder in American history. Mark my words

(December 9, 2023)

28.10.2024 - 08:49 [ Le Monde ]

Silence from the ICC judges hearing the Netanyahu case

On March 17, 2023, it took the judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) just 23 days to confirm the arrest warrants requested by ICC prosecutor Karim Khan against Russian President Vladimir Putin and his children‘s rights commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova. But more than five months after being filed on May 20, ICC magistrates are still deliberating on the arrest warrants requested by the same prosecutor for crimes committed in Israel and Gaza since October 7, 2023.

28.10.2024 - 08:12 [ International Criminal Court (ICC) ]

ICC Judges amend the Regulations of the Court concerning the charges

(21 October 2024 )

The judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) adopted an amendment to regulations 52 and 53 of the Regulations of the Court, which enters into force today. The amendments concern the presentation of the document containing the charges and the decision of the Pre-Trial Chamber to confirm or decline charges.

Regulations 52 and 53 of the Regulations of the Court, as amended, provide clear direction on how the charges need to be presented by the Office of the Prosecutor and in the decision of the Pre-Trial Chamber. The confirmation of charges decision is a pivotal document for the conduct of the trial and defines its scope. By harmonising the presentation of key pre-trial and trial documents, the judges enhance the efficiency and transparency of the confirmation of charges procedure and ensuing trial proceedings.

28.10.2024 - 08:00 [ ABC News ]

One of 3 judges weighing request for ICC arrest warrants against Netanyahu and others is replaced

(October 25, 2024)

The ruling did not elaborate or disclose further details, saying that “the personal medical situation of Judge Motoc is entitled to medical confidentiality.”

Motoc was replaced by Beti Hohler, a Slovenian who was elected as a judge at the court last year after earlier serving as a trial lawyer in the court‘s prosecution office.

The decision is likely to further delay a decision on the request by the court‘s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan.

19.10.2024 - 19:22 [ Common Dreams ]

ICC Will Withdraw War Crimes Charges If Sinwar Confirmed Dead. Also: Netanyahu Still Alive

(October 17, 2024)

„In line with standard practice, the office will take relevant action if sufficient information is received confirming his death,“ Khan‘s division said of Sinwar, according toThe Associated Press.

Israeli authorities said DNA, fingerprints, and dental records confirm Sinwar‘s death.

The announcement left some international critics frustrated at the ICC‘s delay in issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, more than a year after Israel began its bombardment of Gaza.

15.10.2024 - 06:25 [ Middle East Eye ]

History will judge the ICC‘s inaction. Judges must act now or step aside

The International Criminal Court (ICC) faces an unprecedented moment in its history, one that could shape its legacy and impact the lives of thousands.

Prosecutor Karim Khan and his team have risen to their mandate, applying for arrest warrants in the face of enormous risk and pressure.

Yet, the ICC as a whole is faltering. The delay in the judges‘ decision-making is a catastrophic failure to uphold the court‘s own mission.

14.10.2024 - 21:08 [ Al Jazeera ]

The ICC’s credibility is hanging by a thread

In May, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan requested the court to issue warrants of arrest for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, along with three Hamas leaders. The ICC is yet to make a decision despite the mounting death toll in and destruction of Gaza amid Israel’s continuing genocidal violence.

(…)

If Bensouda was threatened and blackmailed for merely investigating allegations of war crimes perpetrated before the current genocidal war, one can only fathom the pressures and threats, real or assumed, that Khan faced or feared.

Now that he has done his duty, it is for the three sitting judges of the pre-trial chamber to decide whether to issue the warrants or not. Whether they face the same threats as Bensouda is unknown, but they must be acutely aware that the very credibility of the ICC also hangs in the balance if warrants of arrest for Netanyahu and Gallant are not issued without further delay.

14.10.2024 - 05:52 [ 20min.ch ]

Guterres nennt Angriff auf UNO-Basis «mögliche Kriegsverbrechen»

Das Aussendepartement hat den israelischen Vorstoss in einen UN-Stützpunkt verurteilt.
Zuvor hatten israelische Panzer das Tor zu einer Unifil-Einrichtung durchbrochen, über ein Dutzend Blauhelme wurden verletzt.
Auch der Papst hat dazu aufgerufen, die «Friedenstruppen zu respektieren».

14.10.2024 - 05:35 [ France24.com ]

UN chief says attacks on UNIFIL ‚may constitute a war crime‘

(Issued on: 13/10/2024 – 22:57)

„In a deeply worrying incident that occurred today, the entrance door of a UN position was deliberately breached by IDF armored vehicles,“ he added in a statement.

At least five peacekeepers have been wounded in recent days as Israel targets Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

12.10.2024 - 05:10 [ Jonathan Cook ]

War on Gaza: Israel wants to finish the job Washington started after 9/11

In 2007, former Nato commander Wesley Clark recounted a meeting at the Pentagon shortly after the US invasion of Afghanistan. An officer told him: “We are going to attack and destroy the governments in seven countries in five years. We’re going to start with Iraq, and then we’re going to move to Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Iran.”

Clark added of the neoconservatives: “They wanted us to destabilise the Middle East, turn it upside down, make it under our control.”

As I documented in my 2008 book Israel and the Clash of Civilisations, Israel was supposed to carry out a central chunk of Washington’s post-Iraq plan, starting with its war on Lebanon in 2006. Israel’s attack there was supposed to drag in Syria and Iran, giving the US a pretext to expand the war.

This was what the US secretary of state of the time, Condoleezza Rice, meant when she spoke of the “birth pangs of a new Middle East”.

The plan went awry largely because Israel got bogged down in phase one, in Lebanon. It blitzed cities like Beirut with US-supplied bombs, but its soldiers struggled against Hezbollah in a ground invasion of southern Lebanon.

The West subsequently found other ways to deal with Syria and Libya.