Published: 25 November 2024
Last updated: 26 November 2024
There has been uproar in the Jewish world about the accusations of the International Criminal Court (ICC) which have been levelled at Israel and its call for the arrests of Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant.
The ICC was established in 2002 on the basis of the Rome Statute four years earlier. Its role was to make a ruling on a state’s practices if there was no independent domestic court to carry out this legal task. The ICC often operated when third world dictatorships refused to act or put forward compliant judges who simply followed orders. The United Kingdom and Australia are two of the 123 countries which were signatories to the Rome Statute which established the ICC.
Israel and the United States, however, refused to sign, as did the entire Arab world, with the exception of Jordan and Tunisia. The ICC further added “the State of Palestine” as a signatory in 2015 and “the crime of aggression” in 2017. Many subsequently argued that the state of Palestine did not actually exist.
The outcome of the ICC’s ruling means that if Netanyahu decides to visit any of these 123 countries, he is liable to be apprehended. This was the reason why Vladimir Putin, a fellow accused, did not dare visit South Africa some months ago.
Several European countries such as Belgium, Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands appeared to be eager to comply with the ICC. In London, the signal from Downing Street was vague if not non-committal. It symbolised the dilemma for the British prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer who, on the one hand is a former Director of Public Prosecutions who has defended the rule of law, but on the other hand is a defender of the state of Israel but a critic of its government.
The Australian government, under Anthony Albanese, responded in a similar fashion, with Foreign Minister Penny Wong saying Australia “respects the independence of the ICC and its important role in upholding international law", while not commenting specifically on the arrest warrants.
Comments3
Ian Light26 November at 07:27 am
The Hamas attack was so barbaric with rapes and defilement of the dead that the initial reaction was bound to be a furious retribution.
Many USA Military said – Perceive how we would have reacted .
But after the initial just retribution ,evacuation orders were ordered for civilians to limit the casualties even though the element of surprise would be lost .
By ICC the USA the U.K. and the USSR would be able to be accused of war crimes in WW2 though no way Genocide against the German and Japanese Civilians example the fire bombing of Tokyo killing 100,000 civilians in one night and Dresden Germany February 1945 when the war was already won .
Former Defence Secretary McNamara of the Democrats under Kennedy and Johnson who worked with Bomber Commander Curtis LeMay admitted – we were war criminal like .
On the scale of war crimes many Nations at War have been far worse and are have not been charged
Example the Iranian Leadership .
The Palestinian Education system is a toxic incitement to mass terrorism against the Jewish People .
Rachel sussman26 November at 06:49 am
This article will make ICC proud.
If I remember rightly Israel provided the Court with ample evidence about the ample of supplies entering Gaza – ICC should pay attention to it and to the fact that so much of these supplies were/ are looted by Hamas …
As for the ‘moonscape destruction in parts of Gaza’ it sure is sad, but has the writer seen the ‘moonscape destruction’ in parts of Israel’s North and South? Aparently not and the ICC certainly had not seen it nor does it care to…
It is true that past independent inquiries led to Golda, Menachem, and Sharon’s demise, and knowing Israel high self critical approach, it probably will lead to Bibi’s demise also. I am not a fan of Bibi but fair is fair, none of these inquiries were held in the midst of war but after, and Bibi said there will be an inquiery post war, a middle of an existential war on so many fronts is hardly a time to add upheavel when one’s energy should be somewhere else.
It seems that even our own forget a very simple fact: we did not ask for this war, neither in the South nor in the North, the IDF is trying to fight a war with its hands tight behind its back from day one… everyone worries about the people of Gaza and the people of Lebanon, but no one gives a hoot about the people of Israel (aparently they are having a wonderful time of it)…
I have no desire to bring harm on the people of Gaza or Lebanon, but I am well and truly over protecting those who invited war on themselves and continue to do so – 101 hostages are still held in Gaza, Hamas refuses to wave a white flag, Hezbollah continues sending rockets targeted purposefully over civillians – and still Bibi and Gallant are held for war crimes, and apparently, according to the writer, this is perfectly justified!
Well no wonder our people are in so much trouble…