On Monday, Karim Khan, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), announced his pursuit of arrest warrants for Israeli leaders and members of Hamas, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, concerning their actions during the seven-month war between Israel and Hamas. Khan stated that he believes "Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, along with three Hamas leaders, Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and Ismail Haniya," are responsible for "war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza and Israel."
**Background on Karim Ahmad Khan:**
- Born in 1970 in Edinburgh, Scotland.
- A British lawyer specializing in international criminal law and international human rights law, he holds a Master’s degree in Law from King's College London.
- Khan served as the Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and as a special advisor, and he led the UN investigation team to enhance accountability for crimes committed by ISIS in Iraq.
- From 1993 to 1996, he served as a Crown Prosecutor in the Crown Prosecution Service in England and Wales, becoming the Senior Crown Prosecutor in 1995.
- Between 1997 and 1998, he worked as a legal officer in the Office of the Prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
- Until 2000, he served as a legal advisor in the Office of the Prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.
- Between 2006 and 2007, Khan was the Principal Defense Advisor for former Liberian President Charles Taylor at the Special Court for Sierra Leone.
- In February 2021, he was elected as the Chief Prosecutor of the ICC for a nine-year term in the second round of voting.
- Throughout his career, Khan has faced criticism for defending William Ruto, the Kenyan Vice President accused of crimes against humanity in Kenya in 2007.
- He is the third Prosecutor of the ICC and the first Prosecutor elected by secret ballot.
