Main points on November 21st
- The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as Hamas commander Mohammed Deif, six months after the ICC’s chief prosecutor requested them.
- Palestinian authorities have praised the ICC’s decision, saying issuing arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant “restores hope and trust” in international law.
- Many countries, including Canada, Italy and Turkiye, have said they will abide by the decision, while Israel has labelled the move anti-Semitic, and the US has said it “fundamentally rejects” the warrants.
- Israel’s military has continued to pound northern Gaza, killing 88 Palestinians in two waves of attacks on Beit Lahiya and Gaza City.
- Israeli forces have carried out an intense bombardment in Lebanon’s Tyre and Baalbek districts, where more than 47 people have been killed over the past day.
- The US Senate has overwhelmingly rejected several bills that would have blocked arms shipments to Israel, shortly after Washington vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Biden slams ‘outrageous’ ICC arrests, Netanyahu calls move ‘anti-Semitic’
US President Joe Biden has slammed the decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Gallant, labelling the move “outrageous”.
“Let me be clear once again: Whatever the ICC might imply, there is no equivalence – none – between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security,” Biden was quoted as saying in a White House press release.
Netanyahu said the decision has been taken by “biased judges who are motivated by anti-Semitic sentiments against the one and only Jewish state”.
“The decision to issue an arrest warrant against me, the democratically elected prime minister of the State of Israel, and our former defence minister was made by a rogue prosecutor who is trying to extricate himself from sexual harassment charges,” Netanyahu said, referring to Karim Khan, who is facing allegations of sexual misconduct.
Biden, you're next. (Unlikely, but one can hope)
There is indeed no equivalence between Israel and Hamas. One is a country (that can hopefully survive Netanyahu), the other a resistance group with terrorist tactics, grown out of decades of ruthless occupation and supported by Netanyahu himself to prevent the creation of a Palestinian state.
Gallant responds to ICC warrant saying ‘privileged’ to lead Israeli security during Gaza war
Israel’s former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant also released a statement saying that he was actually proud of the privilege he had in leading Israel’s security and defence systems during a time of war.
It’s important to mention that some of Gallant’s own comments were used against him in this ICC case. Shortly after the war began, Gallant had said that there would be a “full siege on Gaza”, meaning no food, no water, no fuel, no electricity, and saying that Israel was fighting “human animals”.
Gallant also went on to say that Israel will continue this war until all of the objectives are met and Netanyahu had said the same thing – that until Israel accomplishes all of its military goals for this war, the fighting will continue.
