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Source: https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-830710
ICC Arrest Warrants: Iran's Hidden Hand in Targeting Israel
(Jerusalem Post) Aviram Bellaishe - Iran orchestrated the decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue arrest warrants against the prime minister and former defense minister of Israel. Even if it will be hard to find a smoking gun or prove a direct legal connection to the regime - known for its expertise in concealment and proxy operations - the narratives Iran has constructed over the years reveal its intentions. For years, Khamenei has referred to Israel as "the occupying regime" and an "apartheid state," used the term "racism" in connection to the killing of innocents, and now labels the war in Gaza as "genocide," declaring that Israel must be put on trial. Already on Oct. 7, 2023, Iranian officials called for a comprehensive media effort to highlight alleged Israeli crimes. The Iranian strategy to make use of the international legal system is not investigated by international institutions and international media outlets do not cover it. Not only do Iran and its leaders go uninvestigated by the ICC, but in Nov. 2023, Iran was elected to chair the Social Forum of the UN Human Rights Council. In 2017, the previous ICC prosecutor announced her intention to launch an investigation of alleged U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan. The U.S. harshly criticized her, revoked her visa to the U.S., and threatened to prosecute her, her staff, and ICC judges in American courts and seize their assets. The administration further warned that if the ICC dared to detain any American citizen, the U.S. would use force to secure their release. This understanding of the ICC's bias and politicization was not adopted by the Biden administration, which did not act to prevent current prosecutor Karim Khan from issuing the warrants. The writer, vice president for strategy, security, and communications at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, has served in senior government positions for over 25 years.