A Washington-based human rights group has called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate former US officials, including ex-president Joe Biden, for their alleged roles in enabling Israeli war crimes in Gaza. 

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The Democracy for the Arab World Now (Dawn) urged ICC to probe Biden, ex-secretary of state Antony Blinken, and ex-secretary of defense Lloyd Austin for their "accessorial roles" in aiding and abetting Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. 

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In a 172-page communication to the ICC, Dawn pointed out several decisions taken by these officials to provide military, political and public support in order to facilitate Israeli crimes in Gaza. 

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The document states that the support included at least $17.9 billion of weapons transfers, intelligence sharing, targeting assistance, diplomatic protection, and official endorsement of Israeli crimes, despite knowledge of how such support had and would substantially enable grave abuses. 

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War crimes are serious violations of the laws and customs of war, which are committed during an armed conflict. These crimes can be perpetrated by individuals, groups or governments, and can have devastating consequences for civilians, prisoners of war, and other non-combatants. 

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Dawn pointed out several decisions taken by these officials to provide military, political and public support in order to facilitate Israeli crimes in Gaza last month but made public by the group on Monday. 

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In a press release, the rights group said that the submission to the ICC lays out "a pattern of deliberate and purposeful decisions by these officials to provide military, political and public support to facilitate Israeli crimes in Gaza”. 

A part of the submission alleges that "by continuously and unconditionally providing political support and military support to Israel while being fully aware of the specific crimes committed by Netanyahu, Gallant, and their subordinates, President Biden, Secretary Blinken, and Secretary Austin contributed intentionally to the commission of those crimes while at least knowing the intention of the group to commit the Israeli crimes, if not aiming of furthering such criminal activity”. 

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In a statement, Sarah Leah Whitson, Dawn's executive director, said that "not only did Biden, Blinken and Secretary Austin ignore and justify the overwhelming evidence of Israel's grotesque and deliberate crimes, overruling their own staff recommendations to halt weapons transfers to Israel, they doubled down by providing Israel with unconditional military and political support to ensure it could carry out its atrocities". 

Arrest warrant for Netanyahu

Last year, the UN-backed criminal court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant, together with a former Hamas commander, citing allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

(With inputs from agencies)