Jerusalem:
Israel is expressing concern that the International Criminal Court could be preparing to issue arrest warrants for government officials on charges related to waging its war against Hamas.
The ICC – which can charge individuals with war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide – is investigating Hamas' October 7 cross-border attack and Israel's devastating military assault on Hamas-ruled Gaza, now in its seventh month.
Responding to Israeli media reports that the ICC could soon issue arrest warrants against senior Israeli government and military officials, Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Sunday warned Israeli embassies to strengthen their security due to the risk of a “wave of serious anti-Semitism”.
“We expect the court (ICC) to refrain from issuing arrest warrants against senior Israeli political and security officials,” Katz said. “We will not bow our heads or be deterred and will continue to fight.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that any decisions by the ICC would not affect Israel's actions but would set a dangerous precedent.
Israeli officials are concerned that the court could issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and other top officials for alleged violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza, Israeli media have reported.
They said the ICC is also considering arrest warrants for Hamas leaders.
The ICC, based in The Hague, and Hamas, Gaza's ruling group, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Israel is not a member of the court and does not recognize its jurisdiction, but the Palestinian territories were admitted with member state status in 2015.
In October, ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan said the court has jurisdiction over all possible war crimes committed by Hamas fighters in Israel and by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip.
Khan has said his team is actively investigating crimes allegedly committed in Gaza and that those who break the law will be held accountable.
“The ICC is an independent organization and their efforts are undertaken without any contact or interference from the US,” US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters on Monday.
The US – Israel's ally – is also not a member of the court. A White House spokesperson said later on Monday: “The ICC has no jurisdiction in this situation, and we do not support its investigation.”
INTERNATIONAL ISOLATION
Matthew Gillet, a lecturer in international law at the University of Essex in England, said anyone with an arrest warrant would be unable to travel to the more than 120 member countries of the ICC, including most European countries, Japan and Australia. or they can be held.
Gillet said that if arrest warrants were issued for Israeli officials, some allied countries could take action such as reducing arms transfers or scaling back diplomatic visits, increasing Israel's international isolation.
It would “make it harder for Western liberal democracies to engage with Israel,” he said.
On October 7, Hamas led an attack on Israeli military bases and communities, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 253 hostage, according to Israeli figures.
Israel has since launched a ground, air and naval offensive that Gaza authorities say has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians and destroyed much of the small, densely populated coastal area.
Gaza's health ministry does not distinguish between combatants and non-combatants in its casualty reports, but most of the fatalities are civilians, health officials say.
Israel says it is taking precautions to minimize civilian deaths and that at least a third of the fatalities in Gaza have been fighters, figures Hamas has rejected.
Israel's military campaign has displaced most of the blockaded Palestinian enclave's 2.3 million residents and created a humanitarian crisis.
The case at the ICC is separate from a genocide case brought against Israel at the International Court of Justice, also located in The Hague.
The ICJ, also known as the World Court, is a United Nations court that deals with disputes between states, while the ICC is a treaty-based criminal court that focuses on individual criminal liability for war crimes.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)