Arrest Warrant Bids in Palestine Case Must Be Kept Secret, ICC Judges Tell Prosecutor

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has been restrained from publicizing any new applications for arrest warrants in the court's Palestine case after judges ordered they must be kept secret, the Guardian has learned.

- Harry Davies

In an order issued behind closed doors earlier this month, ICC judges are understood to have told the prosecutor, Karim Khan, he can no longer make public announcements referring to the existence of his applications for arrest warrants or his intention to seek them.

The new order comes as Khan is preparing a fresh round of applications for Israeli suspects in connection to alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the occupied Palestinian territories, according to sources familiar with the situation.

Khan has already secured arrest warrants against Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant. A warrant was also obtained for the leader of Hamas's military wing but was later withdrawn after he was confirmed dead.

The recent order imposing constraints on Khan comes amid tensions between the prosecutor and ICC judges over his handling of the Palestine investigation and several other cases in which he publicly announced his decision to seek warrants, a move that departed from his predecessor's more discreet approach.