The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said that all sides involved in potential war crimes committed in Gaza could face investigation, including middle and low ranking Israeli soldiers.
In an extensive email interview with Haaretz, Fatou Bensouda said that if a formal investigation was to be opened, it would be carried out with the purpose of “bringing stronger cases against those most responsible” for the alleged crimes committed.
She went on to say that it “will of course look into the alleged crimes committed by all sides to the conflict”.
“If an investigation is opened in any given situation, my office will be guided by a policy of investigating and prosecuting those most responsible for the commission of mass crimes,” said Ms Bensouda.
“That is the general rule. In accordance with my office’s new strategic plan, where appropriate, we may indeed investigate and prosecute notorious perpetrators whose conduct has been particularly egregious or a number of lower- or mid-level perpetrators, building upwards, and thereby bringing stronger cases against those most responsible."
“As prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, I have done my best and will continue to do whatever I can to help restore dignity to the shattered lives of victims of atrocities and to give breath to our common yearning for the international rule of law and international criminal justice, applied independently and impartially,” she added. “My challenge and focus, is to bring justice to victims and to prevent future crimes that shock the conscience of humanity.”
See her full interview here.