Belgium said Wednesday it would ask the International Criminal Court (ICC) to look into accusations of war crimes levelled against two Israelis who travelled to a Belgian music festival this month.
The pair were briefly held for questioning by prosecutors upon attending the electronic dance music festival near Antwerp, following a complaint filed by pro-Palestinian groups who identified them as Israeli soldiers and accused them of violations in Gaza.
Authorities initially said they took action after concluding that Belgian courts had extraterritorial jurisdiction over war crimes cases.
But after analysing the complaints the federal prosecutor’s office said on Wednesday that the justice ministry would refer the cases to the ICC, which is already investigating possible violations of humanitarian law in the Palestinian Territories.
“This decision was taken in the interest of the proper administration of justice and in accordance with Belgium’s international obligations,” the office said.
The two Israelis, who have not been named, were held after travelling to Tomorrowland, one of the world’s largest electronic dance music festivals.
The Israeli foreign ministry described the pair as “an Israeli citizen and an IDF soldier.”
“The ministry of foreign affairs and the IDF dealt with this issue and are in touch with the two,” it added in a statement.
Both men were released after questioning by the Belgian authorities and their current whereabouts are unclear.
The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), a Belgian pro-Palestinian organisation which triggered the investigation, welcomed the referrals but argued Belgium “should have gone further” and prosecuted the pair directly or extradited them to the ICC.
“We now urge the ICC to act without delay,” it said in a statement.
The ICC opened an investigation in 2021 into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Palestinian Territories, including in Gaza.
In 2024, the court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the campaign against Hamas in Gaza.
At the same time, the ICC issued arrest warrants against three senior Hamas leaders over the October 7, 2023 attack that sparked the war. All three have since died.
The ICC collects potential evidence for many different sources and under its founding statute, anyone — individuals, NGOs, institutions or governments — can submit whatever they like.
It is then up to the prosecutor to decide how credible the source and the information is and whether to use it in a potential case.
mad-ub/ec/jxb
© Agence France-Presse
