Over 90 countries have come together to issue a joint statement urging the International Criminal Court (ICC) to stand firm against any threats after prosecutors requested an arrest warrant targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
On the 16th, Yonhap News cited U.K.’s The Guardian, reporting that 93 out of 124 ICC member countries recently issued a joint statement urging the ICC not to be swayed by external threats and to fulfill its mandate.
They reaffirmed their support for the ICC, stating, “We will preserve the integrity of the ICC against all political interference and pressure targeting judiciary-related authorities and collaborators.”
Belgium, Chile, Jordan, Senegal, and Slovenia initiated the joint statement.
On the 28th of last month, The Guardian reported that former director of the Israeli foreign intelligence agency Mossad Yossi Cohen had threatened Fatou Bensouda, the former ICC prosecutor investigating suspicions of Israeli war crimes.
Karim Khan, the current ICC prosecutor who has continued the investigation as Bensouda’s successor, also stated in March this year that intelligence agencies have been trying to interfere with the activities of the ICC prosecution. He added that they had tried to exert inappropriate influence and various threats were made.
On the 20th of last month, Khan eventually requested an arrest warrant on charges of war crimes against Netanyahu and the leadership of the Palestinian armed group Hamas, which sparked fierce opposition from Israel and the United States.
U.S. President Joe Biden criticized it as “outrageous” to view Israel on par with Hamas, and the Republican Party showed a move to push for sanctions against the ICC in Congress.
The Guardian noted that major Western countries such as Germany, France, Canada, and the U.K. have also participated in the joint statement. South Korea joined the statement as well, but the United States did not participate.
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