International Criminal Court Spokesperson: Member States of the Rome Statute should cooperate regarding the Arrest Warrants of Netanyahu and Galant

International Criminal Court Spokesperson FadiAl-Abdullah stressed that member states of the Rome Statute must cooperate with the court regarding the two arrest warrants issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Minister of War Yoav Gallant for committing war crimes in Gaza Strip.

Al-Abdullah said in a statement today to Wafa News Agency:” After issuing the arrest warrant, the court asks the countries in whose territories the suspects are located to cooperate with the court.” He said that the court judges can, in the event of a breach of the obligation of cooperation by a state party to the Rome Statute, refer it to the Assembly of States Parties to the Statute to take the action the Assembly deems appropriate.

Al-Abdullah clarified that arrest warrants are the beginning of the preliminary stage in the case, and that the trial stage is a later stage. He indicated that trials cannot be conducted in absentia according to the court’s system, but rather the persons wanted for this must be present.

Regarding the pressures exerted by the United States and Western countries on the court and on the Prosecutor General Karim Khan to prevent the issuance of arrest warrants, Al-Abdullah pointed out that the Prosecutor General confirmed in several statements his rejection of the pressures that some tried to exert on him, and that his office continues to follow up on his independent and impartial investigations into the situation in the State of Palestine.

Regarding the possibility of issuing other arrest warrants against Israeli officials, Al-Abdullah pointed out that the Prosecutor General clarified that pursuing additional lines of investigation may lead him to submit new requests to the judges to issue other arrest warrants.

Last Thursday, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Galant after the judges found “reasonable grounds to believe that they are responsible for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza Strip. It indicated that the war crimes attributed to them include the use of starvation as a weapon of war, as well as crimes against humanity represented by murder, persecution and other inhumane acts, in addition to obstructing humanitarian aid in violation of international humanitarian law.

The court does not have military forces to implement arrest warrants, but rather relies on the cooperation of the member states of the Rome Statute, which number 124 states.

RaghdaSawas, Nada Haj Khidr