Haaretz, an Israeli daily newspaper, revealed that Tel Aviv was preparing a secret list of hundreds of security and military officials suspected of committing crimes of war against the Palestinian population during a number of Israeli aggressions.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague has pledged to bring the Israeli officials to justice.
The ICC had launched an investigation into the “crimes of the Israeli occupation in the Palestinian territories and the Gaza Strip.
The newspaper reported that a secret list of decision makers, officials in the military and security services could be arrested abroad if the ICC agreed to open an investigation into war crimes committed by those officials.
According to the newspaper, this list currently includes between 200 and 300 people, some of whom have not yet been informed in this regard, as they will be required to refrain from leaving the country and travel.
The process of selecting names to the list is surrounded by secrecy in Israel, fearing that it may endanger the people involved in it, as the court may see this as an acknowledgment by Israel of its responsibility for the crimes under investigation.
The Israeli newspaper added that the list includes the prime minister, defense ministers, army chiefs of staff and chiefs in addition to commanders the Shin Bet security service in the past and at the present time.
Many Israeli Defense Force (IDF) officers and other military officials appear on that list.
Israel has long claimed that the ICC does not have jurisdiction in the case, because there is no sovereign Palestinian state that can delegate the criminal court over its territory and its citizens, and the case involves a political dispute, according to the Israeli website.
