Lebanon is on its way to accepting ICC jurisdiction for war crimes committed on its territory

(Reuters) – Lebanon has taken steps since October toward accepting the International Criminal Court’s jurisdiction to prosecute violations on Lebanese territory, which Human Rights Watch said on Saturday was a “landmark step” toward justice for war crimes.

Lebanon has accused Israel of repeatedly violating its sovereignty and committing violations of international law over the past six months, during which the Israeli army and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah have exchanged fire across Lebanon’s southern border in parallel to the Gaza war .

That cross-border shelling has killed at least 70 civilians, including children, rescue workers and journalists, including Reuters reporter Issam Abdallah, who was killed by an Israeli tank on October 13, a Reuters investigation found.

Lebanon’s interim cabinet voted Friday to instruct the Foreign Ministry to submit a statement to the ICC accepting the court’s jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute crimes committed on Lebanese territory since October 7. prosecute.

The decree also instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to include in its complaints about Israel to the United Nations a report prepared by the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), an independent research institute.

That report specifically addressed Abdallah’s killing and was compiled through an examination of shrapnel, body armor, a camera, tripod and a large piece of metal collected by Reuters at the scene, as well as video and audio material.

Neither Lebanon nor Israel are members of the ICC, which is based in The Hague. But filing a declaration with the court would give it jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute relevant crimes over a period of time.

Ukraine has twice submitted such declarations, allowing the court to investigate alleged Russian war crimes.

“The Lebanese government has taken a landmark step toward securing justice for war crimes in the country,” said Lama Fakih, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch, urging the foreign minister urges to formalize this step “quickly” by submitting a declaration. to the ICC.

“This is an important reminder to those who flout their obligations under the laws of war that they could find themselves in the dock,” Fakih said.

(Reporting by Maya Gebeily, Editing by Timothy Heritage)