UK Lawyers for Israel warns ICC Prosecutor of breaching rules for warrants against Israeli leaders

UKLFI stated on their website that Khan is "breaching these rules by misleading the Court" and accused the prosecutor of "failing to update and correct information previously provided."

  International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan speaks during an interview with Reuters in The Hague, Netherlands February 12, 2024. (photo credit: REUTERS/PIROSCHKA VAN DE WOUW/FILE PHOTO)
International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan speaks during an interview with Reuters in The Hague, Netherlands February 12, 2024.
(photo credit: REUTERS/PIROSCHKA VAN DE WOUW/FILE PHOTO)

The UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) association issued a warning late last month against International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan for issuing arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

UKLFI stated on their website that Khan is "breaching these rules by misleading the Court" and accused the prosecutor of "failing to update and correct information previously provided, and not providing information and evidence exonerating the accused."

The association also stated that they would consult with the ICC and Bar Standards Board (BSB), as they also allege that Khan also breached the English Bar's Code of Conduct. They also state that Khan's applications against the Israeli officials have not been published, and the prosecutor's summary of them in a public statement is not sufficient from May of this year.

Other organizations join the cause

NGOs such as the International Legal Forum (ILF), Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC), Bnai Brith UK (BBUK) and Jerusalemites’ Initiative (JI) sent joint observations to the ICC sating that Khan's summary of his applications against Netanyahu and Gallant were accurate, then they were false.

UKLFI also cited a report from last March where Khan's applications were also based on inadequate information, but still asked the court to issue arrest warrants.

 ICC PROSECUTOR Karim Khan speaks during an interview in The Hague, earlier this year. (credit: PIROSCHKA VAN DE WOUW/REUTERS)
ICC PROSECUTOR Karim Khan speaks during an interview in The Hague, earlier this year. (credit: PIROSCHKA VAN DE WOUW/REUTERS)

UKLFI chief executive Jonathan Turner told the Legal Futures news source "that UKLFI intended to submit complaints to the BSB and ICC 'for the violations of their respective rules identified in our letter to Mr. Khan."

He noted to the source that Khan declined to inform whether he would investigate these arguments.