Egypt will use ‘all scenarios’ to preserve security
Egypt’s respect for treaties does not prevent it from using “all scenarios to preserve its national security and the historical rights of Palestinians”, the state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV quoted what it termed a high-level source as saying on Tuesday.
Bilateral relations between Israel and Egypt have been strained for the duration of the war in Gaza, and have dipped significantly since Israel seized and closed the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt earlier this month.
Both sides have publically blamed each other for the continued closure of the border crossing, which several United Nations agencies have said must be reopened to ensure the flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.
ICC announcement ‘just plain wrong’, says UK’s Cameron
The United Kingdom’s Foreign Minister David Cameron says the arrest warrants sought by the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor are “just plain wrong”.
“I don’t believe for one moment that seeking these warrants is going to help get the hostages out, it’s not going to help get aid in, and it’s not going to help deliver a sustainable ceasefire,” he told the House of Lords.
“To draw moral equivalence between the Hamas leadership and the democratically elected leader of Israel, I think, is just plain wrong,” Cameron said.
Anti-Semitism: Israel’s ‘most powerful retort’
Rami Khouri from the American University of Beirut says the ICC prosecutor’s move to issue arrest warrants for Israeli leaders for war crimes will have a significant impact on Israeli society.
“They won’t accept that Israel is measured by the same moral and legal value that all other countries in the world are. So you’ll get a huge majority of people in Israel who will say this is totally unacceptable and they’re singling us out. They do this all the time,” Khouri told Al Jazeera.
The unwillingness to accept responsibility for gross human rights abuses dates back to the 1920s when “Zionist militias” began their violent campaign in historic Palestine, he said.
“They use primarily the argument that this is anti-Semitic and it’s a blood libel against the Jews – and it’s not. This is their most powerful retort. Their problem is it’s less effective now because they’ve used it so often and the world sees what Israel is doing,” said Khouri.
Problem is US, Canada, most of Europe, Australia do the same... It's not working anymore on Gen Z and more informed people. It's still working very well on the older generations that stick to propaganda news channels.
Norway first European country to say it will arrest Netanyahu should a warrant be issued
Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide says that if the arrest warrant against Israel’s prime minister becomes a reality, Norway is obliged to arrest him.
Yesterday, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court asked the court to issue arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, as well three Hamas officials including Yahya Sinwar.
“If he or one of the Hamas leaders who are also indicted should appear in Norway, then we are obliged by international law to do so. The same applies to all countries in Europe with the exception of Turkey,” Eide told Norweigan broadcaster TV 2.
Protesters assail Antony Blinken over US Gaza policy
Demonstrators interrupted the US secretary of state as he began testimony before the Democratic Party-controlled Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
There were shouts that he has “blood on his hands”, and Blinken flinched from a protester who approached him from behind waving a sign that said “criminal” before security officers carried her out of the room.
Demonstrations over Israel’s war on Gaza have been a feature during congressional appearances by Biden administration officials. When Blinken and defence chief Lloyd Austin testified on October 31, 2023, about Biden’s request for security assistance for Ukraine and Israel, they were repeatedly interrupted by protesters.
Protests have intensified across the United States since then, including on college campuses where there have been thousands of arrests.
A pro-Palestine protester is removed by police after shouting at Blinken on Tuesday
