International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan, who is on forced leave over sexual misconduct allegations, intended to issue arrest warrants against Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, the Wall Street Journal said in a report published on Wednesday, citing current and former court officials. The ICC issued warrants for the arrest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant last year for alleged war crimes in the war in Gaza.
The sources said warrants to arrest the two far-right ministers in Netanyahu's government pertained to their role in expanding settlements. The decision was now referred to those replacing Khan, and it was unclear how they would proceed.
ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan announces arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant
(ICC )
Officials and legal experts remain doubtful that the court will proceed with issuing the warrants while the chief prosecutor is absent from his job, because of the political risks that could arise.
Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play: https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store: https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv
According to the report, prosecutors at the ICC were discussing whether the two far-right ministers' support of settlements constituted war crimes that would justify warrants for their arrests.
ICC Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Khan last week asked the court to reject Israel's request to withdraw warrants issued for the arrest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
She argued that there was no legal basis to cancel the warrants or suspend the investigation in the 'Palestine situation.' According to Khan, the court has already determined there is a reasonable evidentiary basis to believe Netanyahu and Gallant bear responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
In a 10-page document, the deputy prosecutor said that "there are reasonable grounds to believe that they bear criminal responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Gaza from at least 8 October 2023 to 20 May 2024."