It was on May 20, 2024 that Karim Khan KC, a British jurist and chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), applied to the court to issue international arrest warrants against three Hamas leaders and also against Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defense minister Yoav Gallant. His request in respect of the Israeli leaders was backed by a catalog of alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity that he accused them of committing.

The High Level Military Group (HLMG) is an association of military leaders and officials from NATO and other democratic countries. Between them they have a wealth of experience at the very highest operational and policy levels as regards the conduct of warfare and its attendant policies.

On August 17 a letter signed by 10 of their members was published in Britain’s Daily Telegraph. In it they state: “We believe that the International Criminal Court’s pursuit of arrest warrants for Israeli national leaders is unjustified.” They back their assertion with evidence gathered in direct investigations the group undertook in July within the IDF and inside Gaza.

They describe the IDF military justice and accountability mechanisms as “consistent with the highest standards of our own armed forces,” and that Israel has both the ability and the will to implement them. They contend that issuing arrest warrants would deny Israel the time and opportunity permitted to other countries to do so.

Their conclusion: “These warrants should be dismissed.”

When Khan originally applied to the ICC for these international arrest warrants, Britain’s then Conservative government wanted to question the court’s power........

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