Lebanon has taken a historic step towards achieving justice for war crimes by accepting the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate violations on its territory. Over the past six months, Lebanon accused Israel of repeatedly violating its sovereignty and committing international law violations, particularly during cross-border exchanges of fire with Hezbollah while the Israeli war on Gaza was ongoing.
An investigation by Reuters found that these cross-border bombings resulted in the deaths of at least 70 civilians, including children, rescue personnel, and journalists. Among them was Issam Al-Abdullah, a Reuters correspondent who was fatally shot by an Israeli tank on October 13. The Lebanese caretaker government voted on Friday to direct the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to submit a declaration to the ICC, accepting the court’s jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute crimes within Lebanese territory since October 7.
The decree also called for including a report from the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research in complaints against Israel to the United Nations. This report focused on the killing of Issam Al-Abdullah and was prepared by analyzing evidence collected from the scene of the incident, including shrapnel, bullet-proof vests, a camera, a tripod, and other materials.
While Lebanon and Israel are not members of the ICC, submitting a declaration would give the court authority to investigate relevant crimes and hold a trial within a specified timeframe. Human Rights Watch praised Lebanon for taking this step towards ensuring justice for war crimes in the country and urged it to formallyize the declaration as soon as possible. The organization emphasized that violators of international law may face consequences in a courtroom.