Amal Clooney consulted for ICC Netanyahu arrest warrant
British-Lebanese lawyer Amal Clooney revealed on May 20th — following months of online criticism — that she played a key role in the recent International Criminal Court (ICC) report calling for arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas officials, the New Arab and agencies reported.
Her statement follows ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan’s declaration that these officials are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity for their actions in Israel’s war on Gaza.
The Clooney Foundation for Justice said that she was part of six-person legal panel along with two academic experts that recommended the issue of arrest warrants by the ICC against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for their use of starvation as a weapon of war, direct attacks against a civilian population, extermination and/or murder, as well as others.
The report also condemned Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh.
Clooney’s online condemnation — brought upon by her silence concerning the topic of the Israel-Gaza war — ended when the ICC published its report on May 20th, consequently revealing her name on the list of consulted legal experts.
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“I fully take back criticism of Amal Clooney for not speaking publicly about Gaza,” wrote one X user. “She couldn’t as she was involved with the proceedings.”
“For all those who were cussing out Amal Clooney for not speaking up about Palestine, she was working overtime doing the hard work to bring these criminals to account,” wrote another. “[This is a] prime reason why you should make 70 excuses for someone.”
Clooney — born in Beirut before moving to the UK — made a legal name for herself after working on the Yazidis’ genocide case against the Islamic State group. She is also heavily involved with human rights issues, such as working on behalf of embattled Filipina journalist Maria Ressa.
She also co-founded the Clooney Foundation for Justice alongside her husband, actor George Clooney, which holds perpetrators of mass atrocities accountable for their crimes and in turn empowers victims.
The New Arab and agencies
