Three Chilean lawyers complaining before the International Criminal Court (ICC) of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahufor genocide and war crimes in Gaza, supported the arrest warrant requested by the ICC attorney general, Karim Khanagainst the leaders of Israel and Hamas, responsible for the Gaza war.
“Khan bravely rejected the intimidating pressures and threats that were brought to bear to prevent her (her decision to seek the arrest warrants),” the lawyers said in a statement.
Nelson Hadad, Juan Carlos Manriquez and the senator Francisco Chahuán (RN) expressed their “full legal conviction” that the request of the ICC Prosecutor’s Office for the precautionary measure of arrest will be accepted by the Preliminary Affairs Chamber of the Court, “which must decide on the basis of solid and indisputable evidence“.
“The step taken by the Prosecutor’s Office constitutes a historic milestone in the defense of International Humanitarian Law, Human Rights and international justice.“added the note.
In March, the lawyers presented a complaint, along with more than 600 jurists, before this international court based in The Hague (Netherlands), where they traveled, to request sanctions and an arrest warrant against Netanyahu, their Minister of Defense. Yoav Galantand senior military commanders of the Israeli Armed Forces.
The Chilean Government also supported Prosecutor Khan’s work on Monday and urged all states to “collaborate” in the investigation.
Khan, in particular, accuses war crimes and crimes against humanity and requests the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as Yahya Sinwarhead of Hamas in Gaza; Mohamed Deif, chief commander of the al Qasam Brigades, the military wing of the Islamist group; and Ismail Haniyehhead of the Hamas political bureau, self-exiled in Qatar.
The Israeli authorities and the leaders of the Palestinian Islamist group were outraged by Prosecutor Khan’s request, as was the president of the United States, Joe Bidenwho called her “intolerable” and “scandalous.”
Since last October 7, more than 35,500 people have been killed by Israeli fire in the Gaza Strip and nearly 80,000 have been injured, according to data from the Ministry of Health of the Palestinian enclave, governed by Hamas.
In January, the Chilean and Mexican governments presented a referral brief to the ICC with the objective of reinforce the ongoing investigation into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity occurred in Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Israel.
With nearly 500,000 people, Chile is a great refuge for the Palestinian community outside the Arab world, a migration that began at the end of the 19th century, when hundreds of Palestinians first escaped Ottoman domination, and which increased in the 20th century. with the Israeli occupation.
Chile recognized Palestine as a “free, independent and sovereign” State in 2011, during the first government of conservative Sebastián Piñera (2010-2014).
