ICC prosecutor defends call for arrest warrants: ‘This isn’t a witch hunt’

The chief prosecutor of The International Criminal Court (ICC) seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior Hamas leaders defended his move and slammed critics saying the case was politically motivated.

“The idea that by applying the law blindly, we are favoring one side…or being hostile to another side, nothing can be further from the truth,” chief prosecutor Karim Khan said on CNN.

Khan noted that his investigation also relied on an independent panel that included "giants of human rights", with diverse backgrounds including practising Jews and a holocaust survivor.

The panel includes Lord Justice Fulford, the first British judge elected to the ICC, and Theodor Meron, an American-Israeli lawyer and judge who served as legal advisor to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Meron also served the US Department of State.

“This isn’t a witch hunt. This is not some kind of emotional reaction to noise.”