Silence From International Criminal Court Greets Rumors That It Might Issue Warrants Against Israelis

JERUSALEM — Israeli officials appear increasingly concerned that the International Criminal Court may issue arrest warrants against the country’s leaders, as international pressure mounts over the war at Gaza.Israeli officials have referred in recent days to an ICC probe launched three years ago into possible war crimes committed by Israel and Palestinian militants going back to the 2014 Israel-Hamas war. The probe is also looking at Israel’s construction of settlements in lands the Palestinians eye for a future state.There was no comment from the court on Monday, and it has given no indication warrants in the case are imminent. Israel’s Foreign Ministry, though, said late Sunday that it had informed Israeli missions of “rumors” that warrants might be issued against senior political and military officials.Foreign Minister Israel Katz said any such warrants would “provide a morale boost” to Hamas and other militant groups. Prime Minister Netanyahu said Friday that Israel would “never accept any attempt by the ICC to undermine its inherent right of self-defense.”“The threat to seize the soldiers and officials of the Middle East’s only democracy and the world’s only Jewish state is outrageous. We will not bow to it,” he posted on the social media platform X.It was not clear what sparked the Israeli concerns. An ICC prosecutor, Karim Khan, said during a visit to the region in December that the investigation is “moving forward at pace, with rigor, with determination and with an insistence that we act not on emotion but on solid evidence.”Neither Israel nor the United States accept the ICC’s jurisdiction, but any warrants could put Israeli officials at risk of arrest in other countries. They would also serve as a major rebuke of Israel’s actions at a time when pro-Palestinian protests have spread across American college campuses.The International Court of Justice, a separate body, is investigating whether Israel has committed acts of genocide in the war at Gaza, with any ruling expected to take years. Israel has rejected allegations of wrongdoing and accused both international courts of bias.Israel has instead accused Hamas of genocide over its October 7 terrorist attack that triggered the war. Hamas stormed through army bases and farming communities across southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 hostages.Secretary of State Blinken is expected to visit Israel on his latest trip to the region that began in Saudi Arabia on Monday. America, Egypt, and Qatar are meanwhile pushing Israel and Hamas to accept an agreement they drafted that would free some of the hostages and bring about at least a temporary cease-fire. Hamas is still believed to be holding around 100 hostages and the remains of some 30 others after most of the rest were freed in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners last year.Hamas has said it will not release the remaining hostages without an agreement to end the war. Mr. Netanyahu has rejected that demand, saying Israel will continue its offensive until Hamas is destroyed and all the hostages are returned.

Silence From International Criminal Court Greets Rumors That It Might Issue Warrants Against Israelis

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