ICC chief prosecutor defends application for arrest of Israeli prime minister

Recently, Karim Khan, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), defended his move to apply for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and other officials, insisting that "justice must be served."

Previously, on May 20, Karim Khan issued a statement applying to the ICC for arrest warrants for two senior Israeli government officials including Netanyahu and three leaders of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on suspicion of committing "war crimes and crimes against humanity." This decision has sparked widespread attention and heated discussions in the international community.

In an interview with the BBC, Karim Khan said that it is important to show that the ICC applies the same standards to all countries in terms of suspected war crimes and cannot treat some countries differently because they have external support. He emphasized that he is aware of the evidence on which the application for issuing arrest warrants is based. "I have seen the evidence, while they haven't." Regarding Netanyahu's accusation of "anti-Semitism" against him, Karim Khan refuted it, saying that the accusation has no authenticity, indicating that his work is to implement the law and will not be stalled by malicious slander or criticism.

In this incident, reactions from various parties are different. US President Biden previously said that this move is "outrageous." US House Speaker Johnson even called for "stopping the operation of the ICC." While France, Belgium and others have expressed support, believing that "no matter who the perpetrators are, they must be independently and fairly prosecuted." There are differences in positions within European countries.

At present, the application for arrest warrants issued by Karim Khan to Netanyahu and others still needs to be approved by ICC judges. This incident has put the authority and impartiality of the ICC to the test and also made the international community focus on the complex legal and political issues involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The future development trend is highly anticipated. The international community hopes that the ICC can maintain an objective and impartial stance, exercise its functions and powers in accordance with the law, and play a positive and constructive role in resolving international issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.