Karim Ahmad Khan is the chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court (ICC) who recently requested that the Court issue arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as for Hamas leaders Mohammed Sinwar, Muhammed Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh, for possible “war crimes” and “crimes against humanity.” He was soon accused of likening the terror group Hamas to the democratic state of Israel. Stung by this accusation, Khan attempted, as he saw it, to set the record straight. More on his unconvincing effort can be found here: “ICC Chief Prosecutor Denies Equating Israel with Hamas,” Algemeiner, May 26, 2024:
In an interview with The Sunday Times, International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor Karim Khan has firmly dismissed accusations that he equates the actions of Israel with those of Hamas, labeling such claims as “nonsense.”…
Why are those accusations “nonsense”? Khan did ask the ICC to treat Israeli and Hamas leaders identically, accusing them of the same crimes, and issuing similar warrants for their arrests. He said nothing about the possibility that one side was more guilty than the other. Now he proclaims, with an air of injured innocence, that of course he didn’t mean to equate the two. Balderdash.
“I am not saying that Israel with its democracy and its supreme court is akin to Hamas, of course not. I couldn’t be clearer, Israel has every right to protect its population and to get the hostages back. But nobody has a license to commit war crimes or crimes against humanity. The means define us,” Khan stated.
Khan can’t help himself: in pretending to be fair to Israel, he repeats his original calumny, declaring that “nobody [i.e. Israel] has a license to commit war crimes or crimes against humanity.” He’s sticking with that charge, so fitting in the case of Hamas, so preposterous in the case of Israel.
In response to an Israeli official’s inquiry about locating hostages, Khan drew a parallel with the UK’s handling of the IRA.
He referenced various terrorist incidents involving the IRA, including assassination attempts and bombings, noting that despite these, the British did not resort to indiscriminate bombing in populated areas known for IRA activity. “You can’t do that,” Khan asserted.
Quite right, a country must not, in defending itself, engage in “indiscriminate bombing.” But that’s just the point, Karim Khan. The IDF does not engage in “indiscriminate bombing.” It makes enormous efforts, in a densely-populated urban environment, where enemy operatives have embedded themselves, their weapons, and their rocket launchers, in civilian buildings — schools, mosques, apartment houses, hospitals — and also in the network of tunnels, built directly underneath civilian structures, to minimize civilian casualties. It does this mainly by warning Gazans in advance of attacks.. The IDF has in the first seven months of the war sent 16 million text messages, made 15 million prerecorded phone calls as well as 100,000 live phone calls, and dropped 9 million leaflets, all to warn civilians about sites or buildings that are about to be targeted. Karim Khan surely knows all this, but he is determined to ignore this evidence of the IDF’s extreme solicitude for civilian lives.
Khan also shared his personal commitment to the issue of hostages, revealing that he wears a blue wristband with “Bring Them Home” inscribed on it and carries a dog tag dedicated to Kfir Bibas, the youngest hostage at nine months old.
“This would break anyone’s heart,” he remarked. “There are Palestinian babies dying and we cannot have double standards.”
Note the way, having shown his feigned concern with the Israeli hostages — that blue “Bring Them Home” wristband, that dog tag with the name of the youngest hostage, Kfir Bibas, on it — he immediately turns to the “Palestinian babies dying” and “we can’t have double standards.” But no one is asking him to have “double standards.” The Israeli babies who were burned alive by Hamas were deliberately murdered. The IDF, by contrast, does not deliberately murder babies, or indeed any civilians. It tries to save them from harm by its colossal efforts to warn civilians when they should flee places about to be targeted. Khan ignores that essential difference.
Addressing the potential issuance of arrest warrants, Khan stressed the global community’s responsibility to enforce them. “If states don’t step up, it has massive implications,” he warned.
“The ICC is their child — I am just the nanny or hired help. They have a choice to look after this child or be responsible for its abandonment.”
How falsely modest is this Karim Khan. He claims to be “just the nanny or the hired help” for the ICC, which is the child of the “global community.” But in truth, he’s much more than that; he’s a malevolent “nanny,” a sinister member of the “hired help.”And now he’s alarmed that his recommendations, even if accepted by the ICC, will certainly be ignored. For neither Israel, nor its ally the United States, is going to pay any attention to an ICC summons to appear before it. They will simply refuse to recognize the authority of the court. And the ICC has no methods of enforcement. If a state decides to ignore it, there is nothing either the ICC, or its humble “hired help,” the bigoted Karim Khan, can do about it.
libertyORdeath says
I knew it was a Hugh piece when I read “Balderdash”
Great article on a retarded subject. Anti-White racism pervades the globe. The entire UN is compromised. Globalism must end.
Ray Jarman says
Hugh,
You with the help of the active players, the ICC, US, Israel and other non-members of the ICC have helped prove University of Maryland professor, James Herzog, who adamantly declared that International Law does not actually exist. Treaties and agreements only work when the parties involved possess a mutual consensus or one is stronger than the other with the ability to enforce the treaty. The name International Court is truly a conception without any intrinsic enforcement. It reminds me of the once international ban on whale harvesting and the Norwegians flipped the bird to all and as far as I know, still hunt whales.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Very good point, Ray. Unless there is an “International Army” to enforce such things, it’s worth even less than the paper it’s printed on, or the web pages it populates
James Lincoln says
Great point, Ray.
The ICC can really only make “recommendations” as they have no legitimate “enforcement” arm.
OLD GUY says
The ICC is just do nothing high paid positions for usually wealthy donors to political leaders and friends.
Strokes to the rich Folks. The ICC has no real power or jurisdiction that it can enforce it self.
Johanna Jahns says
Isn’t this also a chance that Israels efforts to minimize casualties will finally get the audience they deserve?
Douglas McRill says
Father immigrated from Pakistan and he’s a Muslim, tells me everything I need to know about him.
I’m sure he will never issue aresst warrants for the leaders of Kenya, Nigeria, China, where real genocides are taking place, or the criminal regimes of Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, North Korea, Venezuela, either.
Les says
Well said Douglass! Also, try googling “Karim Ahmad Khan brother”
Les says
Well said Douglas! Also, Google “Karim Ahmad Khan brother”
Ernie says
Wow , Les ! Very eye opening…very, very dirrrrty man this Imran Ahmad Khan : among other things a convicted sex-offender accused and convicted for sexually assaulting a 15 year old boy in 2008….