ICC prosecutor faces demand for action against Israeli leaders and Russian attack over Putin warrant

UNITED NATIONS — The International Criminal Court’s prosecutor faced demands Tuesday for speedy action against Israeli leaders and a blistering Russian attack over the ICC’s arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin stemming from Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. “Is the ICC politicized or is it independent and neutral?” Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia called the ICC a politicized “puppet body” controlled by the West that “has absolutely nothing to do with justice.” The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin for alleged war crimes in March 2023, accusing the Russian president of personal responsibility for the abduction of children from Ukraine following Russia’s invasion. They cited reports the ICC is poised to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other high-ranking Israeli officials for their military offensive in Gaza following Hamas’ Oct. 7 surprise attack in southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and saw about 250 people taken hostage. Algeria’s deputy U.N. ambassador, Nacim Gaouaoui, expressed hope the ICC will take “a serious approach” to its Palestinian investigations and “demonstrate that it is not a tool used by some members of the international community to threaten whoever they want, whenever they want.” Khan said he wanted to assure Russia’s ambassador that “we will not be swayed, whether it’s by warrants for my arrest or the arrest of elected officials of the court by the Russian Federation, or whether it’s by other elected officials in any other jurisdiction.” Khan said the ICC endeavors to be “deaf to the noise” and this should be a time “for the law to be allowed to breathe,” whether dealing with world crises like Ukraine, Gaza and the Palestinians, Libya or the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar.