ALBAWABA - In a recent development at the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, the ICC Prosecutor, is facing scrutiny for his handling of war crimes allegations related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Triestino Mariniello, a member of the legal team representing Palestinian victims, has accused Khan of applying "double standards" and failing to address the situation adequately.
Mariniello, a Law Professor at Liverpool John Moores University, highlighted the apparent discrepancy in Khan's approach to the conflict in Ukraine and the Israeli-Palestinian situation. While Khan swiftly addressed concrete cases in the ongoing Ukraine-Russia War, Mariniello pointed out that there has been a lack of action regarding violations in Palestinian territories during Khan's 2.5-year tenure.
The legal expert emphasized that, unlike Ukraine, no ICC prosecutor has visited the occupied Palestinian territories. Mariniello drew attention to the fact that funds were not allocated to Palestine by the Prosecution Office in 2022, and in 2023, the investigation into Palestine received the lowest budget among active probes.
Mariniello criticized Khan for not providing updates or taking preventive actions concerning the Palestinian investigation since June 2021, despite promptly responding to Israelis affected by Hamas attacks and their lawyers in October 2022.
Mariniello further underscored Khan's failure to establish a clear connection between settler violence and the illegality of settlements, stating that it was a crucial omission.
In light of the ongoing situation in Palestine and the alleged double standards, Mariniello emphasized the significance of Khan's actions, calling on the ICC to ensure equal access to justice for all victims and conduct cases independently and impartially.
Warning against succumbing to the pressure of powerful states, Mariniello concluded that persisting in such double standards in the face of intensifying conflicts would jeopardize the credibility of the ICC, which has struggled to hold anyone accountable for international crimes in previous cases like Iraq, Afghanistan, and Palestine.
