Gantz says hundreds Israelis may be subject to ICC probe, including him

LIsraeli Defence Minister has estimated that hundreds of Israelis might be subject to the International Criminal Court (ICC) probe of Israeli war crimes committed in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Including himself among Israelis who could be threatened with arrest, Benny Gantz told Reuters, “I was never afraid to go across enemy lines, I will continue to stand wherever I have to.”

Last month, the ICC said that its jurisdiction extends to territories occupied by ‘Israel’ in the 1967 war, clearing the way for its chief prosecutor to open a war crimes probe into Israeli war crimes.

“The Court’s territorial jurisdiction in the Situation in Palestine … extends to the territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem,” the judges said.

The ICC’s chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, said in 2019 that there was a reasonable basis to open a war crimes probe into Israeli war crimes against native Palestinians in the Gaza Strip as well as Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank.

But she asked the court to determine whether she has territorial jurisdiction before proceeding with the case.

‘Israel’ is not a member of the court and rejects its jurisdiction, a position backed by its close ally the United States and other countries who are members of the ICC, including Canada, Australia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Austria, and Lithuania.

Palestinians have welcomed the ruling as a chance for justice for victims of Israeli attacks.

Palestine has asked the court to look into Israeli war crimes during its 2014 war against the Gaza Strip, when the Israelis killed 2147 Palestinians including women and children, and wounded 10870 others, as well as Israel’s construction of settlements in the occupied West Bank and annexed east Jerusalem. Israeli settlements are illegal under international law.

In an interview on Israel’s fortified border with Gaza, Gantz, who also holds Israel’s justice portfolio, called the ruling a “negative development” and added: “We have our own teams working in different (places) to try (and) influence (the ICC).”

Gantz was the military’s chief of staff during a 2014 war between ‘Israel’ and Hamas. The ICC has pointed to that conflict as a potential issue to be probed.

Asked by Reuters how many Israelis, including himself, might expect to be subject to arrest should the probe lead to criminal investigations, Gantz said, “I guess several hundred, but we will take care of everybody.”

Gantz called that “an estimate”, declining to say if ‘Israel’ had drawn up a list of officials. ‘Israel’ will provide legal assistance to any implicated Israelis and will give them legal warnings regarding travel if necessary, Gantz said.

Asked if he himself might change his travel plans in light of the ICC probe, Gantz said: “So far, no.”