Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Justice Minister Yariv Levin have reportedly made an extraordinary request to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara to open a fake criminal investigation into state leaders.
According to reports from Israeli Channel 12, the aim of this sham investigation is to block the issuing of arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court (ICC) by invoking the “principle of complementarity.” This principle allows countries to avoid ICC prosecutions if they are deemed to be conducting their own legitimate investigations into crimes.
The plan outlined by Netanyahu and Levin involves starting an investigation and then quickly closing it, claiming to the ICC that Israel has handled the matter internally. However, Baharav-Miara rejected the request, stating there was “no justification” for launching such an investigation.
The request comes in response to ICC prosecutor Karim Khan’s push to accelerate the issuance of arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant. These warrants are being pursued in light of the ongoing genocide in Gaza and war crimes by Israeli officials. Khan had urged the ICC to fast-track the proceedings in the face of the worsening situation.
The refusal of Baharav-Miara has led to accusations from Netanyahu’s camp, with claims that the Attorney General is “sabotaging efforts.” Despite this, legal experts and government officials argue that political motivations are behind Netanyahu’s request rather than a genuine concern for state justice according to the Quds News Network.