The International Criminal Court could not act against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the IDF’s top brass without overt or tactical support from the United States, an Israeli diplomatic source said. The Jerusalem Post.
“Where is (US President Joe) Biden? Why is he remaining silent when Israel risks being thrown under the bus? the source said.
The source spoke as the Prime Minister’s Office expresses concern that the ICC will soon issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as the IDF chief of staff Herzl Halevi.
In light of this growing concern, Netanyahu said on Friday: “Under my leadership, Israel will never accept any attempt by the ICC to undermine its inherent right of self-defense. »
“The threat to seize the soldiers and officials of the Middle East’s only democracy and the world’s only Jewish state is outrageous. We will not comply,” he said.
“Israel will continue to successfully wage its just war against genocidal terrorists and we will never stop defending ourselves,” Netanyahu stressed.
“Even though the ICC will not affect Israel’s actions, it would set a dangerous precedent that would threaten the soldiers and leaders of all democracies fighting against brutal terrorism and wanton aggression,” Netanyahu explained.
Speaker of the US House of Representatives: “Israel has the right to defend itself”
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) called on the ICC to “stand down immediately” in an article on X. “Israel has the right to defend itself against terrorist organizations that seek to destroy it. »
“Note to the ICC: the real criminals are in Hamas and Iran,” Johnson wrote.
Such mandates, if issued, would come more than six months after the start of the IDF’s military campaign in Gaza to destroy Hamas and should focus on these actions.
Already in November, ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan confirmed that he was leading an investigation into possible war crimes in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, which had already started in March 2021 and was going back to the events which began on June 13, 2014.
This investigation, Khan said, “extends to the escalation of hostilities and violence since the attacks that took place on October 7, 2023.”
Israel is not a party to the Rome Statute which governs the Court, but the Palestinian Authority signed the statute in 2015 and, as such, the ICC has concluded that it has jurisdiction to rule on matters relating to these territories .
In an editorial published Friday, the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal He urged the United States and Britain to intervene.
“Mr. Khan’s candidacy was championed by his native Britain and supported by the United States, so both countries can exert influence if they warn Mr. Khan about what will happen if he continues If they fail to do so, President Biden and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak risk finding themselves under fire from the Americans and the British next.”
THE WSJ noted that “even though Hamas fights beneath cities and behind human shields, and Egypt blocks the escape of refugees, Israel has a ratio of civilian casualties to combatants that compares favorably to other urban conflicts.” »
He continues: “There is a reason why the United States is not a party to the ICC and Congress has long authorized a president ‘to use all necessary and appropriate means’ to resist ICC arrests of Americans and their allies. It is also necessary to avoid prosecution of a Democratic ally.”
Former US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman wrote on order.
“It’s time for Biden to reinstate threatened sanctions before the ICC becomes a puppet court!” ” he wrote.
News Source : www.jpost.com
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