Amal Clooney assists ICC in pursuing arrest warrants for ‘Israeli’, Hamas leaders

Amal Clooney, the British-Lebanese human rights lawyer, announced Monday that she assisted the International Criminal Court (ICC) in evaluating evidence that led to the decision to request arrest warrants for senior leaders in Israeli Occupation and Hamas.

The warrants include the arrest of “Israeli” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “Israeli” Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant, Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar, Al-Qassem Brigades leader Mohammed Deif, and Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh.

Clooney had previously faced widespread criticism for her silence regarding the humanitarian crisis occurring in Gaza, labeling her a "disappointment."

In a statement published on the website of the “Clooney Foundation for Justice,” which she co-founded with her husband, American actor George Clooney, she revealed that Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan asked her to join an expert committee “to assess evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Israel and Gaza,” according to France 24.

This statement coincided with the day when Karim Khan announced his intention to seek arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant on charges including “starvation,” “willful killing,” and “genocide and/or murder.”

While Hamas, Israeli Occupation, and the US criticized the ICC’s decision, experts wrote that they “unanimously agree that the Chief Prosecutor’s work has been rigorous, fair, and based on law and facts.”

- Social media responses -

When the ICC report revealed Clooney's name on the list of legal experts, there was an outpour of varying responses on social media.

A timely reminder that performative activity on social media is not "action." Amal Clooney has been dragged continuously for the past few months for supposedly being silent on Gaza. She was diligently doing her actual job and making a tangible difference in the real world. https://t.co/SswaYaHjRA

— Abimbola Johnson (@BarristerAbi) May 20, 2024

I fully take back criticism of Amal
Clooney for not speaking publicly about Gaza. She couldn’t as she was involved with the proceedings. https://t.co/13zGBA6jKT

— Monisha Rajesh (@monisha_rajesh) May 20, 2024

Amal Clooney quietly working on the ICC proceedings to bring Israel to The Hague for war crimes while she was being dragged online for not posting about Gaza queen, sorry we doubted you https://t.co/kCkZA7olPG

— Ruqaiya (@ruqaiya_h) May 20, 2024

don’t be so quick to praise Amal Clooney for working behind the scenes when she quite literally just ‘two sides’ the genocide. read her statement below where she equates both Palestinians and Isr@3l for their ‘war crimes’ https://t.co/MW0ri2XqIT

— af (@levisboneylegs) May 20, 2024

the best amal clooney could do is issue a two sides statement after months of silence and “work” ok girlie i regret ever looking up to you

— Huda Ismail (@hudawrites_) May 20, 2024

If Amal Clooney was asked to investigate WWII, she would have ruled that both, Warsaw Ghetto rebels and the Nazis share equal blame.

— asad abukhalil أسعد أبو خليل (@asadabukhalil) May 21, 2024

Clooney emphasized that her approach is not to provide “running commentary” on her work, which had to remain secret due to the delicate legal nature of her work.

“I served on this panel because I believe in the rule of law and the need to protect civilian lives. The law that protects civilians in war was developed more than 100 years ago and it applies in every country in the world regardless of the reasons for a conflict,” she affirmed.