KUALA LUMPUR – A group of influential US Republican senators has targeted International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Karim Khan and his family in a vile attempt to scare him off from issuing international arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials.
The senators, including Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Marco Rubio of Florida, and Ted Cruz of Texas, threatened severe sanctions if such warrants were pursued, asserting that it would not only threaten Israel’s sovereignty but also that of the United States.
Dated April 24 this year, the letter obtained by US-based news site Zeteo, signed by 12 Republican senators, also targeted the family members of ICC officials, which includes Karim’s Malaysian wife, Datuk Shyamala Alagendra, a prominent international lawyer.
Shyamala, who is also a human rights advocate, is the daughter of former Selangor police chief and Malaysian hockey icon Tan Sri P. Alagendra.
Target Israel and we will target you
Karim’s announcement of the court’s jurisdiction over potential war crimes in Israel and Gaza led to the speculation of impending arrest warrants for Netanyahu and other officials.
The Republican senators argued that any arrest warrants for Israeli leaders were unlawful and would expose the ICC’s hypocrisy and double standards, pointing out that similar warrants have not been issued for leaders of other countries accused of war crimes.
“By issuing warrants, you would be calling into question the legitimacy of Israel’s laws, legal system, and democratic form of government.
“Such actions are illegitimate and lack legal basis, and if carried out will result in severe sanctions against you and your institution. The ICC is attempting to punish Israel for taking legitimate actions of self-defense against their Iranian-backed aggressors,” the letter read.
The possibility of arrest warrants for Netanyahu would not be unprecedented for Karim, who previously faced sanctions for pursuing arrest warrants against other controversial world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The senators’ letter referenced the American Service-Members’ Protection Act, commonly known as “The Hague Invasion Act,” indicating the lengths to which the US would go to protect its sovereignty and its citizens from ICC actions.
“The United States will not tolerate politicised attacks by the ICC on our allies,” the senators said in the letter.
“Target lsrael and we will target you. If you move forward with the measures indicated in the report, we will move to end all American support for the ICC, sanction your employees and associates and bar you and your families from the United States. You have been warned.”
Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen condemned the letter, saying that while opposition to judicial actions is acceptable, threatening judicial officers and their families is unacceptable behaviour for US senators.
“It is fine to express opposition to a possible judicial action, but it is absolutely wrong to interfere in a judicial matter by threatening judicial officers, their family members and their employees with retribution. This thuggery is something befitting the mafia, not US senators,” Van Hollen told Zeteo.
The White House for its part has expressed opposition to threats or intimidation against ICC officials but stated that President Joe Biden does not support the court’s investigative probe.
In response to the senators’ letter, the ICC’s chief prosecutor’s office in The Hague published a statement on X, urging an end to threats and attempts to intimidate its officials, warning that such actions could constitute an offence against the administration of justice under the Rome Statute.
Zeteo, founded by award-winning journalist and best-selling author Mehdi Hasan, obtained the exclusive letter from the Republican senators threatening Karim.
Meanwhile, Belgium’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Hadja Lahbib, expressed solidarity with Karim and the ICC.
“I spoke with @KarimKhanQC about the threats to the @IntlCrimCourt. The neutrality of the @IntlCrimCourt is essential for the fair and equal application of international law,” she said in a post on social media platform X.
“Belgium reiterates its support for the @IntlCrimCourt and its prosecutor @KarimKhanQC.” – May 8, 2024