From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, May 22, 2024
AG, state attorney: ‘No foundation’ to ICC prosecutor’s request for arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant
Jeremy Sharon is The Times of Israel’s legal affairs and settlements reporter
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and State Attorney Amit Aisman hit back at the International Criminal Court (ICC), describing Prosecutor Karim Khan’s request for arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant as “without foundation.”
The two most senior law enforcement officials in the country say that their agencies examine all claims of violations of the law, and assert that the ICC therefore has no right or authority to investigate and charge Israeli officials.
“The security forces, including the IDF, wage war with full commitment to the rules of international law,” say Baharav-Miara and Aisman in a joint statement.
“The legal system in the State of Israel is prepared to examine any serious claim both in relation to matters of policy and in relation to individual cases,” they continue. “As the State of Israel has made clear over the years, the [international] court lacks any authority to conduct an investigation into [this] matter.
“In any case, the request to the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants against the prime minister and the defense minister is without foundation.”
The Times of Israel Community.