Israeli Gov’t Allows ICC Prosecutor To Visit Hostage Families; Palestinians Cry Foul

Despite the routine disallowance of International Criminal Court officials’ visits to Israel, Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan was granted a three-day exception. This exception was made for a private agenda requested by families of the hostages taken by Hamas, a terrorist organization, to probe the October 7 events when Hamas overwhelmed the border and killed some 1,200 Israelis, many in their homes or at a music festival. The marauders retreated to the Gaza Strip, taking more than 240 hostages, ranging from 9 months to over 80 years in age.

Following a meeting with a delegation from the group in The Hague, Khan accepted an invitation to visit Israel. The government OK’ed the invite even though it contends the court has no jurisdiction over Israel. Apparently, the families’ strategy was effective. In an interview with the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Khan said that he leaves Israel with “reason to believe” that acts defined by international law as war crimes were committed by Hamas on that day.”

On Saturday, the chief prosecutor visited Ramallah where he met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and was briefed on Palestinian complaints against Jewish Israelis. Nevertheless, the Ramallah-based Fatah’s Reformist Democratic Faction said in a statement that Khan’s visit, “raises significant concerns regarding ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan’s current visit to Israel, specifically focusing on his prioritization of meeting families of Israelis involved in October events, over visiting the Palestinian victims of the ongoing Israeli genocide.”