Israel officials will be held accountable, human rights council head says

Israeli officials will be held accountable for their actions against Palestinians, Haissam Bou-Said, International Human Rights Council (IHRC) chief administrative officer to the UN in Geneva, said in a television interview.

Speaking on “Al-Hekaya” programme on MBC Misr yesterday, Bou-Said said: “We confirm that accountability will come, and it will not be far away. There may be surprises in some cases, but so far, matters are moving towards accountability for the Zionist entity and these officials.”

He noted that Israel committed serious violations of international law during its war on Gaza. “The case cannot be ignored. There must be someone who pays the price for those who committed these shameful acts against humanity,” he added.

This comes as reports have surfaced that Israel is taking measures to stop the International Criminal Court (ICC) from issuing arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of his war cabinet.

READ: Israel’s Netanyahu concerned about possible ICC arrest warrant

Bou-Said pointed out that there was a phone call between Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden, discussing the latter’s personal intervention to prevent the issuance of arrest warrants against the prime minister, the ministers of defence and justice, and the chief of staff.

“But ultimately, I do not think that this call will lead to anything. Even the American president will not be able to stop the course of international justice,” Bou-Said said.

“The decision is embarrassing for the Israelis,” added Bou-Said, noting that “Netanyahu is very confused and is trying to exert pressure by all means through the US, Germany and the UK to stop the process of issuing arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court.”

He stated that the International Criminal Court may issue decisions to arrest some Hamas leaders for the crime of hostage-taking after 7 October, especially since it is prohibited by the Fourth Geneva Convention, stating: “The court is fair and must issue rulings against anyone violating the law. The larger share will be against the Zionist entity, while Hamas’s share is limited to the issue of kidnapping civilians after 7 October.”