Since Karim Khan’s decleration of intention to issue international arrest warrants against the Israeli war leaders – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant –for the charge of committing crimes against humanity (And together with a symbolic statement of the intention to issue similar orders against Hamas leaders – Muhammad Deif, Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniya, in a move purporting to compare the State of Israel with the terrorist organization) has been known a month ago, Israel is waging a well-developed braking battle on the legal front to prevent the publication of the orders, or at least to dull their sting.
On Friday, it was reported that the Likud party planned to promote a law in the Knesset that forbids cooperation between the ministries and the state authorities and the International Court, and even prevents the entry of the members of the court into Israeli territory (Khan, as remembered, visited Israel and the ruined communities of the Otef shortly after the outbreak of the war). Sanctions will be imposed on organizations or individuals who cooperate with the Court, and full funding will be provided for legal expenses of officials being investigated or arrested on behalf of the Court.
In the United States, the ‘Shurat HaDin’ organization is promoting a personal petition against Amal Clooney, chief assistant to Khan, a Lebanese-born known as the wife of famous actor George Clooney. In the United States, a law that is essentially similar to a law that has been proposed in Israel already exists, and prevents the court from acting against the United States and its allies on American territory (known as the “invasion of the Hague” law). The law states that individuals should not pursue such an investigation, prosecution, or legal process within the United States territory – and the claim is that Amal Clooney certainly did so. This lawsuit is not expected to issue arrest warrants but may deter the court from carrying out similar moves in the future.