GENEVA, (PIC)
Euro-Med Monitor expressed concern over frequent reports of political pressure exercised by Israel and its allies aimed at preventing the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague from issuing arrest warrants against senior Israeli security and political figures.
Any attempts to undermine the ICC’s work, harm its integrity and independence, prioritize political interests over considerations of achieving international justice, and intervene on behalf of the perpetrator at the expense of the victim are appalling, the rights group said in a statement issued on Sunday.
“Information that the ICC may issue arrest warrants against Israeli officials suspected of crimes against Palestinians has sparked different reactions and legitimate concerns about the Court’s capacity to carry out these orders, bring those accused to trial, and punish them without caving in to foreign pressure intended to undermine its work and obstruct its measures.”
Thus, Euro-Med called on the ICC to take the long-awaited legal measures and issue arrest warrants for the Israeli officials involved in committing crimes against the Palestinians, prosecuting them, and holding them accountable.
It also urged the ICC Prosecutor, Karim Khan, to make legal decisions as soon as possible and follow the Court’s procedural rules and rules of evidence in accordance with the Rome Statute.
The international community, in all its forms, should work to support the Court’s work towards establishing justice in view of Israel’s ongoing failure to uphold its international obligations to prevent and stop serious crimes and grave violations committed against the Palestinian people over the past 76 years, it concluded.
