Neither Lebanon nor Israel are ICC members
Filing a declaration in the court will give it jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute relevant offenses within a specific period
BEIRUT: Lebanon has moved toward accepting the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court to prosecute violations on Lebanese territory since October, Human Rights Watch said Saturday, calling it a “step toward justice for war crimes.” It was a historic step.
Lebanon has accused Israel of repeatedly violating its sovereignty and violating international law over the past six months, during which Israeli forces and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah have fired on Lebanon’s southern border in parallel with the Gaza war.
A Reuters investigation found that at least 70 civilians, including children, rescue workers and journalists, have been killed in cross-border shelling, including Reuters Visuals reporter Issam Abdullah, who was killed by an Israeli tank on 13 October.
Lebanon’s caretaker cabinet voted on Friday to direct the Foreign Ministry to file a declaration with the ICC accepting the court’s jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute crimes committed on Lebanese territory since October 7 .
The decree also directed the Foreign Ministry to include a report prepared by the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), an independent research institute, in its complaints about Israel to the United Nations.
That report looked specifically at the killing of Abdullah, and was prepared by examining shrapnel, flak jackets, a camera, a tripod and a large piece of metal that Reuters collected from the scene, as well as video and Audio content as well.
Neither Lebanon nor Israel are members of the ICC, which is based in The Hague. But filing a declaration in the court will give it jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute relevant offenses within a specific period.
Ukraine has twice filed such declarations, allowing the court to investigate alleged Russian war crimes.
“The Lebanese government has taken a historic step toward achieving justice for war crimes in the country,” said Lama Fakih, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. He urged the Foreign Minister to “rapidly” formalize the move by filing a declaration. To ICC.
“This is an important reminder to those who violate their obligations under the laws of war that they may find themselves in the dock,” Fakih said.