The Pre-Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) postponed its decision on whether ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan can issue arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes. This delay followed an application by England on June 10 to submit a “friend of the court” brief contesting the ICC’s jurisdiction in this matter.
In its ruling on Thursday, the ICC granted England’s request to intervene and allowed other countries to do so as well, setting a deadline of July 12 for filing briefs. The ICC indicated that these submissions and the entire deliberation process could be made public, despite typically keeping arrest warrant proceedings confidential to prevent alerting the suspects.
The three-judge panel stated, “While this should not be interpreted as an open call for amicus curiae submissions, the Chamber recognizes that granting the United Kingdom permission to file observations may lead to additional requests.”
As a result of these developments, the process of issuing arrest warrants could be significantly delayed, potentially stretching out over several months. The ICC’s involvement in this matter has faced opposition from Israel, the United States, and other allies of Israel, with U.S. President Joe Biden describing the ICC’s actions against Israel as “outrageous.”
In addition to seeking arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant, Prosecutor Khan also filed warrants against the top three leaders of Hamas, including its Gaza head, Yahya Sinwar, back in May.
