(RightWing.org) – Hamas committed unspeakable acts of violence against the Israeli people on October 7, 2023. The Islamic militants murdered almost 1,200 innocent people, including children. The terrorist organization also kidnapped more than 200 hostages while carrying out the terrorist attack.
The terrorist attack kicked off a war between Israel and Hamas. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have spent months bombing Gaza. More than 30,000 Palestinians have died since the war began and nearly 2 million are displaced. The International Criminal Court (ICC) recently filed an application to issue arrest warrants for Hamas and Israeli leaders, and a famous actor’s wife was involved in the decision-making process.
Arrest Warrants
On May 20, actor George Clooney’s wife, Amal Clooney, issued a statement revealing she was one of the eight legal and academic experts the ICC convened at the request of prosecutor Karim Khan. Clooney is a prominent human rights attorney who has represented victims of mass atrocities before the International Court of Justice and ICC in the past.
The panel was tasked with determining whether the prosecutor’s arrest warrant applications for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant were valid. Khan also wanted warrants for Hamas leader Yehiya Sinwar, political leader Ismail Haniyeh, and Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri, the leader of Hamas’ military. Clooney and the others evaluated the evidence and ultimately gave the green light on all five.
The British attorney said the panel’s decision was unanimous, “despite [their] diverse personal backgrounds.”
Clooney has received criticism on social media over the last several months for being silent about the war in Gaza. In her statement, she revealed Khan approached her about four months ago to sit on the panel.
A judge will have the final say on the warrant applications.
Response to Warrant Applications
Netanyahu and Gallant were both accused of committing crimes against humanity. The prime minister slammed the ICC for its actions, calling the decision “outrageous” in a video message. “It will cast an everlasting mark of shame on the international court,” Netanyahu said.
The prime minister went on to say the warrants were a “travesty of justice” and a “disgrace.” He accused Khan of trying to deny Israel’s right to self-defense.
During a speech at the White House for Jewish American Heritage Month, President Joe Biden also criticized the warrants. He said that America has “ironclad” support for Israel.
Biden also said that the US rejected the application for arrest warrants and that there was “no equivalence between Israel and Hamas.” He has also insisted there’s no genocide happening in the Gaza Strip.
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