Karim Khan
Karim KhanREUTERS/Michael Kooren

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, has urged judges to dismiss Israel’s objections to an investigation into the 13-month Gaza war, The Associated Press reported.

Late Monday, Karim Khan filed his formal response to Israel’s appeal challenging the ICC’s jurisdiction, the report said.

The appeal followed the court’s issuance of arrest warrants last year for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of crimes against humanity related to the Gaza conflict.

While individuals cannot directly challenge an arrest warrant, Israel as a state can object to the investigation.

In a December submission, Israel argued that it is capable of investigating the allegations against its leaders independently. It also claimed that continuing the ICC’s probe violated its sovereignty.

In his detailed 55-page response, Khan emphasized that the Rome Statute—the treaty establishing the ICC—permits the court to prosecute crimes occurring within the territory of member states, regardless of the nationality of the perpetrators.

A decision from the judges on Israel’s submission is expected in the coming months.

The decision to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant was criticized by US President Joe Biden, who called the decision outrageous and added that “whatever the ICC might imply, there is no equivalence — none — between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security.”

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stressed that the administration rejects the ICC decision and disagrees with other countries that accepted the decision.

"We are not going to be executing any arrest warrants, that is not something we are going to do from here," she stated.

Jean-Pierre added that "we believe, and we've been clear, that the ICC does not have the jurisdiction over this matter. So we've been very clear about that and that stance has not changed."

Last week, the US House of Representatives passed legislation imposing sanctions on the ICC and Khan in the wake of the arrest warrants.

The legislation passed 243-140. 198 Republicans and 45 Democrats voted in favor of the bill.