International Criminal Court 'has had enough'

“The prosecutor’s office insists that all attempts to hinder, intimidate or unduly influence its officers cease immediately.”

On May 3, local time, the International Criminal Court issued a statement on the social platform X, calling for an end to all threats and intimidation. Although the statement did not mention the source of the "threat", many media pointed out that the matter pointed to the recent "ICC will issue an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and others."

The ICC statement noted that the Office of the Chief Prosecutor recognizes that its investigations involve significant public interest and welcomes comments, concerns and participation from state and elected officials, non-governmental organizations, academics and activists.

“As long as such dialogue is consistent with the mandate to act independently and impartially under the Rome Statute, the Office seeks to engage constructively with all stakeholders.”

The statement said that in the discharge of its duties, the prosecutor's office makes decisions on investigations or cases within its jurisdiction, however, this independence and impartiality can be compromised if there are threats of retaliation against the court or court staff.

"This threat may amount to the crime of obstruction of justice under Article 70 of the Rome Statute, even if no action is taken."

The statement pointed out that the above-mentioned provisions expressly prohibit "undue retaliation against an official of the court for the performance of his duties" and "obstruction, intimidation or influence through bribery of a court official with the purpose of forcing or persuading the official to not perform or improperly perform his duties."

The statement stressed that the Prosecutor's Office insists that all attempts to hinder, intimidate or unduly influence its officials cease immediately.

Regarding the above statement, "Capitol Hill" and other media said that although the statement did not disclose the source of the threat, after the news that the ICC would issue arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials, including Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Israel and U.S. officials have recently been putting pressure on the ICC to prevent the issuance of arrest warrants.

Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, said in October last year that his office was investigating war crimes and crimes against humanity in the new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflicts, “whether they occur on the Palestinian or Israeli side, whether they occur on the The Palestinian Islamic resistance movement attacked Israel during the Israeli military operation against the Gaza Strip."

Karim Khan also expressed "deep concern" over the surge in attacks on Palestinian civilians by Jewish settlers in the West Bank. He demanded that both parties to the conflict abide by international law and called on Hamas to immediately release those "hijacked" from Israel.

According to multiple media reports at the end of April this year, the ICC may issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Galante and Defense Forces Chief of Staff Halevi in ​​the next few days, and may also issue arrest warrants for Hamas officials. make.

Israel's Channel 12 later reported that Israel was increasingly worried that the International Criminal Court might issue an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials on suspicion of violating international law in Gaza, and that the Prime Minister's Office had "urgently discussed" the matter.

According to reports, multiple informed officials from Israel and the United States revealed that the Israeli government has warned the Biden administration that if the ICC issues an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials, Israel will take measures that may lead to the collapse of the Palestinian National Authority. Retaliatory measures include freezing taxes collected on behalf of the Palestinian Authority.

Israel, on the other hand, is seeking help from the United States. The US Axios News Network previously reported that two Israeli officials revealed that Netanyahu asked US President Biden to help prevent the International Criminal Court from issuing arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials.

A spokesman for the White House National Security Council said: "As we have stated publicly many times, the International Criminal Court has no jurisdiction over this situation and we do not support its investigation."

In addition, many Republicans, including House Speaker Johnson, have recently launched harsh attacks on the International Criminal Court. Johnson said, “If the Biden administration does not challenge this, the ICC may establish and exercise unprecedented powers to issue arrest warrants for U.S. political leaders, U.S. diplomats, and U.S. service members.”

Some Republican congressmen revealed that US congressmen are drafting a bill aimed at warning the International Criminal Court that if an arrest warrant is issued against senior Israeli officials, the United States will retaliate.

It is reported that the International Criminal Court has 124 member states. Neither the United States nor Israel is a party to the Rome Statute, but Palestine signed the statute in 2015. Therefore, the ICC has the authority to rule on issues related to Palestine.