The ICC prosecutor showed diplomatic strategy by announcing his request for arrest warrants against Hamas leaders and Israeli politicians at the same time. The reactions are predictable. But by combining it this way, the message is clear. One injustice, no matter how evil, does not justify to commit another.
To me, the atrocious and heinous acts by Hamas on Oct 7 deserve a proportionate reaction. No discussion about that. But Israel’s ongoing actions that seem to be indiscriminate of Hamas and civilians have IMHO moved beyond that. The ICC prosecutor goes back to the basics of the principles of international laws and rules. I hope he succeeds.
The equivalence the prosecutor makes is based on the supposedly committed crimes against humanity by both sides. To twist that into a supposed equivalence of Hamas and Israeli politicians by the ICC is disingenuous and not helpful, IMHO. But as I said - expected reactions.
I will stop here as I shared my point of view from a very big distance. And no matter what I say, it will be used by either side to judge me and put me in an extremist box. I know the unwritten rules. But I won’t be silenced by them. People have and are dying. This must stop.
Final note. I have a clear moral compass, based on the fundamental human rights. Not on race, religion, nationalism or opportunism. But being stoic, I also accept that I don’t have all the facts and backgrounds. So I trust institutions I respect to collect these facts and the context. Institutions like the ICC. But they can also be wrong. However — my commitment to the fundamental human rights is unaffected by that.
@jwildeboer However, doing this at this juncture clearly makes Bibi, et al. even more defensive, and is likely to make any cease fire even more difficult to attain. The ICC could have done this at any time later. No way to see how they couldn't think doing it now wouldn't make things worse.
@lauren Understandable reaction. But the prosecutors at ICC also cannot simply wait for an opportune time in the light of ongoing crimes against humanity. Remember how the (western) world welcomed the arrest warrant by the ICC against Putin. Demanding or expecting a bit more lassez-faire now is kind of misguided, IMHO.
@jwildeboer It's binary. Either doing it now makes it worse or better. Neutral is unlikely. Because Bibi's political position is far less stable than Putin's, it can be reasonably argued that Putin's actions would not be intensified by the ICC since he knows his position is stable. That is NOT the case with Bibi.
Ok. Final final note. Let’s not mix up the process to make a point. The prosecutor has decided he has enough evidence to justify filing for arrest warrants. Now it is up to the ICC judges to decide if the arrest warrants will be issued and which of the five. This will take at least weeks, if not months. So we will have to wait. The prosecutor did his part, the judges now will do theirs.
(I thought this was obvious. The decision to issue arrest warrants is done by the judges, who will analyse the prosecutors dossiers and justifications. The process has started, it is not done)
We know this will not have consequences and nothing will come from it (see, amongst others, the warrant against Putin). But regardless it is entertaining.
You do not happen to know how long those warrants stay valid? Because this would all engender a new portion of Schadenfreude in my black heart if some people would have to pay attention where they are going for vacation, for, let's say, the next 20 years.
@glitzersachen the arrest warrant against Putin made sure he only visited countries that are not member states to the ICC. So there’s that. Arrest warrants from the ICC have no expiry date. As long as the prosecution keeps the case alive, they are valid.
Add comment