Protecting Israel in the International Criminal Court in the Hague

Shortly after the October 7 massacre, Shurat HaDin filed a complaint in the International Criminal Court (ICC), blaming Hamas for committing War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity. The complaint urged the Prosecutor to issue arrest warrants against the terrorist leaders, stressing the urgency to act in order to protect the 250 men, women and children kidnapped and held hostage by Hamas. The Prosecutor failed to act against Hamas, waiting more than 8 months until requesting the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber to issue arrest warrants both against Hamas and Israeli leaders - creating a twisted moral equivalence between the terrorists and their victims. The Pre-Trial chamber opened the floor for submissions regarding its jurisdiction. At first, Shurat HaDin chose to decline and not to participate. But then, in a highly exceptional decision, the ICC Pre-Trial, on its own initiative, approached Shurat HaDin and invited us to make a submission on behalf of victims! Shurat HaDin decided to answer this call, elaborating in our submission on both lack of jurisdiction to investigate Israelis, and the bias conduct by the prosecutor against Israel and Israeli victims.