Legal experts debunk Israeli US claims
aa.com.trMay 03
ICC Prosecutor Says Work 'Undermined' by Threats
Image copyright: Michel Porro/Contributor/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan said Friday that the court's "independence and impartiality" have been undermined as "individuals threaten to retaliate against the court or against court personnel" for decisions in cases.
This comes as Axios reported that a bipartisan group of US senators held a virtual meeting with senior officials at the ICC to express their concern over potential arrest warrants against Israeli leaders.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
Threats against the ICC are nothing new, dating back to when the Trump administration sanctioned Karim Khan and other ICC staff. The US, however, is not a member of the ICC and thus has no right to meddle in its business. The ICC does have jurisdiction over Gaza and East Jerusalem, so if it decides to take action against Israel's genocide, it will be justified in the eyes of all 124 ICC member states.
Pro-establishment narrative
The ICC is prosecuting Israel for defending itself against the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust, a defensive war in which Israel has bent over backward to ensure it limits civilian casualties and provides humanitarian aid. The ICC should drop this bad faith prosecution and focus on someone like Bashar al-Assad in Syria — who has killed over 500K of his people.
Nerd narrative
There is a 60% chance that the International Criminal Court will bring charges against a member of the Israeli Government or Israeli Defense Force before 2027, according to the Metaculus prediction community.