ICC prosecutor angers Israel, Hamas, but will that impact the war?
With the specter of war crimes charges now hanging over the Israel-Hamas war, so too are questions.
Namely, how will the possibility of the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders shake up a seven-month war, a hostage crisis, and a growing famine?
For now, it appears, the arrest threat is having little influence on either Israel or Hamas in their conduct of the war, with observers saying both sides are doubling down on the battlefield and in the negotiating room.
Yet the move by prosecutor Karim Khan to seek the warrants is part of the court’s mandate to pursue accountability and uphold international law without favor, not to force an end to the war, says Kevin Jon Heller, special adviser on war crimes to the prosecutor.
“We do not make decisions on the basis of
