<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n
\u2018Nobody is above the law\u2019<\/h2>\n
The charges against Netanyahu and Gallant include \u201ccausing extermination, causing starvation as a method of war, including the denial of humanitarian relief supplies, deliberately targeting civilians in conflict,\u201d Khan told Amanpour. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe fact that Hamas fighters need water doesn\u2019t justify denying water from all the civilian population of Gaza,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n
Netanyahu called the decision \u201ca political outrage.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cThey will not deter us and we will continue in the war until the hostages are released and Hamas is destroyed,\u201d he said at a meeting of the parliamentary group of his Likud party. <\/p>\n
Other Israeli officials echoed his sentiments. Benny Gantz, a member Israel\u2019s war cabinet, criticized Khan\u2019s decision immediately after it was announced, saying that Israel was fighting \u201cwith one of the strictest moral codes in history, while complying with international law and boasting a robust independent judiciary.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cDrawing parallels between the leaders of a democratic country determined to defend itself from despicable terror to leaders of a blood-thirsty terror organisation is a deep distortion of justice and blatant moral bankruptcy,\u201d he said, adding that the decision by the prosecutors \u201cis in itself a crime of historic proportion to be remembered for generation.\u201d <\/p>\n
The leader of the opposition, Yair Lapid, said the application for the arrest warrents was \u201ca complete moral failure.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cWe cannot accept the outrageous comparison between Netanyahu and Sinwar \u2026 We will not remain silent,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Israel\u2019s President Isaac Herzog called it \u201cbeyond outrageous.\u201d <\/p>\n
When reports surfaced last month that the ICC chief prosecutor was considering this course of action, Netanyahu said that any ICC arrest warrants against senior Israeli government and military officials \u201cwould be an outrage of historic proportions,\u201d and that Israel \u201chas an independent legal system that rigorously investigates all violations of the law.\u201d <\/p>\n
Asked by Amanpour about the comments made by Netanyahu, Khan said: \u201cNobody is above the law.\u201d <\/p>\n
He said that if Israel disagrees with the ICC, \u201cthey are free, notwithstanding their objections to jurisdiction, to raise a challenge before the judges of the court and that\u2019s what I advise them to do.\u201d <\/p>\n
Israel and the United States are not members of the ICC. However, the ICC claims to have jurisdiction over Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank after Palestinian leaders formally agreed to be bound by the court\u2019s founding principles in 2015. <\/p>\n
The ICC announcement on Monday is separate from the case that is currently being heard by the the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over an accusation from South Africa that Israel was committing genocide in its war against Hamas following the October 7 attacks. <\/p>\n
While the ICJ considers cases that involve countries and nations, and the ICC is a criminal court, which brings cases against individuals for war crimes or crimes against humanity. <\/p>\n
Monday\u2019s announcement is not the first time that the ICC acted in relation to Israel. In March 2021, Khan\u2019s office launched an investigation into possible crimes committed in the Palestinian territories since June 2014 in Gaza and the West Bank. <\/p>\n
Located in The Hague, Netherlands, and created by a treaty called the Rome Statute first brought before the United Nations, the ICC operates independently. Most countries \u2013 124 of them \u2013 are parties to the treaty, but there are notable exceptions, including Israel, the US and Russia. <\/p>\n
That means that if the court grants Khan\u2019s application and issues arrest warrants for the five men, any country that is a member would have to arrest them and extradite them to The Hague. <\/p>\n
Under the rules of the court, all signatories of the Rome Statute have the obligation to cooperate fully with its decisions. This would make it extremely difficult for Netanyahu and Gallant to travel internationally, including to many countries that are among Israel\u2019s closest allies \u2013 including Germany and the United Kingdom. <\/p>\n
Sinwar, Haniyeh and al-Masri have been officially designated as global terrorists by the US, meaning they are under travel bans, asset freezes and sanctions. The US, the UK, Japan, Canada as well as the European Union and others have designated Hamas as a terror group and imposed sanctions on its leaders. <\/p>\n
This story has been updated with additional developments.<\/em> <\/p>\n<\/p>\nThis post appeared first on cnn.com<\/div>\n
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