Amal Clooney, a human rights lawyer and the wife of Hollywood actor George Clooney, played a crucial role in the International Criminal Court's (ICC) decision to issue an arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
As part of her duties, Clooney participated in the advisory forum for the ICC and supported the issuance of arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif.
Israeli civil rights Shurat HaDin, representing hundreds of victims of the October 7 terrorist attacks, has appealed to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, demanding an investigation into Clooney for violating the federal American Service-Members' Protection Act, known informally as The Hague Invasion Act. The organization claims that Clooney's participation in the ICC's investigative actions against Netanyahu for war crimes, while she was on U.S. soil, constitutes a felony under U.S. law.
In their appeal, Shurat HaDin noted that Clooney took part in an investigative forum convened to examine evidence against suspects of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Israel and Gaza. The forum was tasked with reviewing the legal analysis behind Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan's request for warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant, as well as several Hamas leaders. Additionally, they stated that Clooney publicly discussed her involvement in the ICC's investigative forum and boasted about her efforts to incriminate the two Israeli leaders.
The Hague Invasion Act is a federal law enacted to protect U.S. military personnel, American officials and Washington's allies from criminal prosecution by an international court to which the U.S. is not a party. The law grants the president extensive powers to oppose and sanction anyone assisting the court. It explicitly prohibits any ICC representatives from conducting investigations, prosecutions or other legal proceedings while physically present in the U.S.
ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan announces will request arrest warrants against Israeli officials, Hamas chiefs
(Video: ICC )
“The American law is extremely clear: no agent of the ICC can operate or assist in ICC investigative actions against Americans or their allies while residing in the U.S.," said Shurat HaDin President Nitsana Darshan-Leitner.
"As President Biden stated, it is outrageous that this biased court in The Hague would attempt to prosecute Israeli officials as they battle the Hamas murderers, rapists and terror gangs in Gaza. If Amal Clooney participated in the ICC panel investigating Prime Minister Netanyahu while residing in the US then she is the one that needs to be prosecuted. She seems to be passionate about international law but pretty contemptuous of American regulations. George Clooney's efforts to intervene and interfere with White House policy on behalf of his wife while raising funds for Biden’s campaign is troubling and suspicious.”