In November 2024, International Criminal Court prosecutor Khan announced the arrest warrants of Netanyahu and Gallant.
The United States announced on Feb. 13 that it has sanctioned International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan.
This
development occurred a few months after The Hague court announced arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The ICC criticized the U.S. move.
“The #ICC deplores the designation for sanctions by the US administration of ICC Prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan. The Court pledges to continue carrying out its judicial mandate in the interest of millions of innocent victims of atrocities,” the court wrote in a post on social media platform X on Feb. 11, ahead of the expected announcement. The sanctions were a result of an executive order President Donald Trump signed last week to allow for sanctions on the ICC, which does not have jurisdiction over the United States and Israel.
In his
executive order, Trump said that “the ICC’s recent actions against Israel and the United States set a dangerous precedent, directly endangering current and former United States personnel, including active service members of the Armed Forces, by exposing them to harassment, abuse, and possible arrest.”
“This malign conduct in turn threatens to infringe upon the sovereignty of the United States and undermines the critical national security and foreign policy work of the United States Government and our allies, including Israel,” the order reads.
On Nov. 21, Khan announced the arrest warrants of Netanyahu and Gallant, who was fired by the former that same month. The warrants are related to Israel’s actions in Gaza in response to the Hamas terrorist group’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
There is currently a cease-fire that has temporarily stopped the fighting between the two sides and resulted in an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
Khan,
announcing the ICC warrants, said Netanyahu and Gallant committed “crimes against humanity and war crimes” between Oct. 8, 2023, and May 20, 2024, such as “the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.”
Netanyahu said the ICC was undertaking “absurd and false actions,” while Gallant said the warrants create “a dangerous precedent against the right to self-defense and moral warfare and encourages murderous terrorism.”
In May 2024, Khan
announced arrest warrants against Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh for war crimes such as taking hostages and crimes against humanity, including murder. All three are now dead.
Last month, Senate Democrats
blocked legislation that would allow for sanctions on ICC personnel and others who seek to go after the United States, Israel, and other countries not subject to the Rome Statute, which established the ICC in 2002. The Democrats said the measure could unfairly target American businesses that work with the ICC.
