Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday slammed the International Criminal Court (ICC)’s decision earlier this week to seek arrest warrants for senior Israeli and Hamas officials.
Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, announced that he was seeking arrest warrants for Prime Minister Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and senior Hamas officials Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh.
“This is outrageous,” Netanyahu told Fox News host Sean Hannity. “This prosecutor is a thug who has gone out of control. He’s trying to demonize the only Jewish state and the only democracy in the Middle East. This is wrong and this is dangerous.”
Karim Khan is the ICC’s chief prosecutor. (Getty Images)
Mr. Khan accused Prime Minister Netanyahu and Mr. Gallant of war crimes and crimes against humanity. He alleged seven crimes committed by Israeli government officials, including “starvation of civilians as a means of war,” “deliberate attacks against civilians,” and “deliberate killing.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu criticized the ICC for seeking arrest warrants against Israeli and Hamas officials at the same time, saying there was “no falsehood” between “the democratically elected leaders of Israel and the terrorist tyrants of Hamas.” He argued that there is an attempt to create a symmetry of
He went on to say that the ICC’s decisions were against Winston Churchill, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Adolf Hitler during World War II, or against President George W. Bush and Osama bin Laden during the War on Terror. He added that it would be like requesting an arrest warrant.
Panoramic view of the International Criminal Court (ICC) building in The Hague, Netherlands, April 30, 2024. ((Photo credit: Selman Axanger/Anadolu, via Getty Images))
Israeli forces advance deep into Rafah during a night of fierce fighting
Israel begins war in response to Hamas insurgents Violently murdered According to the Associated Press, Syrian forces abducted 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 250 more to Gaza.
The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry does not distinguish between civilian and combatant deaths, but said more than 35,000 Palestinians had died during the war.
President Biden The ICC’s application was rejected. He rejected requests for arrest warrants against Israeli officials, saying, “There is absolutely no equivalence between Israel and Hamas.”
“It’s clear that Israel wants to do everything in its power to ensure the protection of civilians,” Biden said.
Israeli soldiers gather near the Israel-Gaza border in southern Israel before entering the Gaza Strip, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
He added: “Contrary to the International Court of Justice’s claims against Israel, what is currently happening is not genocide. We reject that. We will always support Israel and any threats to its security.” .
Austin says there’s no evidence Israel is committing ‘genocide’ in Gaza war against Hamas
Prime Minister Netanyahu also criticized the International Criminal Court, which he says Israel is starving Palestinian civilians.
Khan said in a statement that Israel has imposed an “arbitrarily restrictive total siege on the Gaza Strip with the closure of three border crossings” since October 8.[ed] Once border crossings reopen, essential goods, including food and medicine, will be transported through them. ”
As Israel’s offensive against Gaza continues, the total blockade imposed on the area has left Palestinians, including children, unable to obtain many necessities, including basic food supplies. As a result, people stand in line for hours to receive meals distributed by charity organizations in the Gaza city of Deir al-Balah on May 18, 2024. (Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“The siege also included the cutting of the cross-border water pipeline from Israel to Gaza – the main source of clean water for Gazans – for an extended period from October 9, 2023, as well as the cutting off and disruption of electricity supplies from at least October 8, 2023 until today. This was carried out in tandem with other attacks on people queuing for food, preventing humanitarian agencies from delivering aid, and attacks and killings of aid workers, forcing many agencies to suspend or limit their activities in Gaza,” the statement read in part.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the accusations “a series of lies” and “falsehoods.”
“We’ve put in 20,000 trucks, we’ve put in 500,000 tons of food and medicine. Food prices have plummeted in Gaza because the market doesn’t lie,” Hannity said. “People are getting about 3,000 calories a day compared to the 2,000 they need. That’s a huge amount.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, said Congress Considering your options We will respond to the ICC’s decision, including the possibility of sanctions.
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A three-judge ICC panel will have to decide in the coming months whether to grant arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant, Sinwar, Deif and Haniya.
