The International Criminal Court Prosecutor, Kareem Khan, addressed the request for arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and the threats they have received "if they target Israel." He stated that "there are reckless individuals everywhere, and there are statesmen and mature leaders, those who have allegiance to something greater than themselves, such as their constitutions, or ultimately the rule of law. The good news, I believe, is that over the past two and a half years, we have had a very positive engagement with the Biden administration and the United States. We are working on several files, whether in Ukraine or Darfur."
In an interview with CNN, Khan said, "I told the esteemed members of Congress and the administration that the values of the Rome Statute are core American values. They are against bullying, they are against the unrestricted use of power against the most vulnerable groups, they are about individual rights and dignity, and they are about protecting children."
Khan noted that "these are the core American values that should have bipartisan support. Now, of course, this situation has unfortunately created a significant rift in international politics and strategic interests. And of course, some politicians have spoken with me and have been very candid, saying, 'this court was built for Africa and for tyrants like Putin,' this is what one senior politician told me."
He pointed out, "We do not see it this way; this court is a legacy of Nuremberg. This court is a condemnation of the unfortunate side of humanity. This court should be a triumph of law over power and brute force. Take what you can, do what you want, and the threats or any other activities simply will not deter us because, in the end, we have to fulfill our responsibilities as prosecutors, as men and women in office, as judges, and as a record of something greater than ourselves, which is the allegiance to justice. We will not be influenced by the various types of threats, some of which are public and others perhaps not."
Khan clarified that "the Israeli right has a very good Supreme Court, and they have highly skilled and qualified lawyers. But even if you look at recent public information, for example, in the New York Times report by Bergman and Metalli, if one goes back to the 1980s and looks at the CAP report, the Israeli Deputy Attorney General said that Israel was unwilling and unable to investigate crimes in the occupied territories. If one looks at the Sasson report, and if one looks at the team from the US military that was in Washington, DC, between 2019 and 2021, which said that there is no accountability, the simple truth is that the law applied in Israeli territories, unfortunately, does not seem to be applied vigorously or sincerely in the occupied territories or in Gaza, and that is why we must move forward."
He added, "Of course, if Israel disagrees, if they believe they are investigating the same individuals and the same behaviors and policies upon which they base their claims, they are free, whatever their objection to the judicial ruling, to appeal to the court's judges, and that’s what I advise them to do. But the simple truth of the matter is that ignoring the law in this situation and the policies and statements coming from the Prime Minister and the Defense Minister support and affirm the other evidence we have from a variety of sources."
