Netanyahu arrest warrant remains valid despite ICC prosecutor's removal, says ex-US envoy

Stephen Rapp, a former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues, maintains that the International Criminal Court's (ICC) arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains legally sound. Rapp's assessment comes amid a significant crisis for the ICC, triggered by the recent removal of its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan.

Khan was dismissed on July 24 in New York by a vote of 82 states parties to the Rome Statute. The official reason cited was a "serious breach of his duties." Rapp, who previously served as chief prosecutor for the Special Court for Sierra Leone, described this as the most severe crisis the ICC has faced. He indicated that the complaint from a subordinate employee, which led to Khan's dismissal, is separate from the substantive issues of the court's investigations.

Rapp expressed concern that the United States and Israel are actively seeking to dismantle the Hague-based court. This effort, he suggests, is partly motivated by the ICC's recent actions, including the arrest warrant requests for both Israeli and Hamas leaders. The former ambassador emphasized that despite the internal turmoil and external pressures, the warrant against Netanyahu continues to hold legal weight.