ICC prosecutor sought arrest warrants against Israeli ministers before going on leave

The leading prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, was preparing arrest warrants against more Israeli politicians before he went on leave. According to the Wall Street Journal, the arrest warrants would have been issued against the far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, and the Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Khan was contemplating prosecuting the ministers for their role in expanding the Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The ICC had issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister Yoav Gallant for how Israel has been committing war crimes in Gaza in the past.

This decision to issue the arrest warrants was condemned by the U.S., and sanctions were imposed against Khan by the Trump administration. The ICC has said that these sanctions have hampered the court’s work, with the Wall Street Journal stating that the U.S. has discussed a second round of sanctions against the court.

It is unclear whether the arrest warrants against the two ministers will still be issued. The leading prosecutor took a step back within the international court in The Hague after he was accused of sexually transgressive behavior. Khan has denied these accusations.

Smotrich and Ben-Gvir have publicly pushed for Israel to expand its control over the West Bank. Both ministers live in West Bank settlements and have called for Israel to take over the entire territory in the past. Smotrich recently pushed for the government to convert 13 West Bank neighborhoods that had once been outposts, which are illegal under Israeli law, into full-fledged settlements that are entitled to government funding.

“This is another important step on the way to de facto sovereignty in Judea and Samaria,” Smotrich said. Judea and Samaria is the biblical name often preferred by the far-right Israeli parties to describe the West Bank.