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Israel Rejects UN Court's Jurisdiction to Issue a Warrant for Netanyahu's Arrest
(New York Times) Ephrat Livni - Israel has rejected the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor's request for arrest warrants for its prime minister and defense minister over their conduct of the war in Gaza, in filings to the court that were reclassified as public on Friday. The documents challenge the court's jurisdiction, arguing that Israel is capable of independently investigating the same matters. Under the treaty setting up the International Criminal Court, which Israel is not a party to, a case could be inadmissible in the court if Israel has the ability to conduct its own investigation into the actions underlying the accusations. The Israeli filing argued, "Despite having been forced into a bloody conflict that it did not want, Israel remains a democracy endowed with an independent judiciary and deeply committed to the rule of law," adding that Israel "has the appropriate mechanisms" to ensure accountability for any alleged crimes. "Israel has primary jurisdiction and is best placed to investigate allegations of the sort raised by the Prosecutor, given the access required to relevant evidence, information and persons."