Amal Clooney was among the several experts who were instrumental in advising the International Criminal Court on seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza. According to CNN, the prominent figures currently embroiled in a warring conflict are being reportedly sought for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
While Sinwar is sought for arrest over the October 7 attacks on Israel, Netanyahu is being pursued for the subsequent war and strikes on Gaza.
The International Criminal Court’s Prosecutor, Karim Khan, confirmed the details of the matter to CNN on Monday. Moreover, the European Journal of International Law (EJIL) shared the bombshell report “supporting ICC arrest warrant applications for crimes in Israel and Palestine” a few hours ago.
Amal Clooney and Marko Milanovic penned the May 20 report, which affirmed that a panel of experts convened with Khan to support the investigation into the “Situation in the State of Palestine.” It will collectively probe into international crimes committed on the Palestinian territory and by a Palestinian national, which is why both Netanyahu and Sinwar have been roped into the report.
Panel of experts, including Amal Clooney, advised the ICC prosecutor to pursue arrest warrants
The Panel sought to advise Khan “on whether his applications for arrest warrants met the standard provided in Article 58 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.” The grave decision was unanimously supported by the members, implying that the senior leaders of Hamas and the Israeli PM committed the said war crimes “within the jurisdiction of the court.”
The involved panel members were –
- Lord Justice Fulford: Former vice-president of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales and former judge at the International Criminal Court
- Judge Theodor Meron CMG: Visiting Professor at the University of Oxford, Honorary Fellow, Trinity College and former Judge and former President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
- Amal Clooney: Barrister, Adjunct Professor at Columbia Law School and Co-Founder of the Clooney Foundation for Justice
- Danny Friedman KC: Barrister, expert in criminal law, international law and human rights
- Baroness Helena Kennedy LT KC: Barrister, Member of the House of Lords and Director of the International Bar Association Human Rights Institute
- Elizabeth Wilmshurst CMG KC: Former Deputy Legal Adviser at the United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Distinguished Fellow of International Law at Chatham House
Additionally, academic advisers Professor Marko Milanovic (Professor of Public International Law at the University of Reading School of Law) and Professor Sandesh Sivakumaran (Professor of International Law, University of Cambridge) assisted the Panel.
Clooney, the world-renowned human rights lawyer, has also been famous in pop culture since she married Hollywood actor George Clooney in 2014. Having worked on several global conflicts before, she released her formal statement on the contemporary issue of grave relevance via the Clooney Foundation for Justice website.
As the Barrister and Co-Founder of the Clooney Foundation for Justice, she wrote: “More than four months ago, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court asked me to assist him with evaluating evidence of suspected war crimes and crimes against humanity in Israel and Gaza. I agreed and joined a panel of international legal experts to undertake this task. Together we have engaged in an extensive process of evidence review and legal analysis including at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.”
Clooney asserted that despite the panel members’ diverse personal backgrounds, their “legal findings are unanimous.” She and her colleagues also an op-ed on the Financial Times website, addressing why they endorse “ICC prosecutions for crimes in Israel and Gaza.”
According to Al Jazeera’s May 20 report, over 35,000 Palestinians have died since Israel unleashed its full-fledged onslaught on Gaza. Conversely, at least 1,139 Israeli people have lost their lives since the October 7 attacks.
ICC’s arrest warrants against Israeli politicians mark the first time the court has targeted a close US ally.
