The Hague, May 24 (RHC)– Several months after the International Court of Justice ruled on Israeli genocide in Gaza, a long overdue move by the ICC has taken place. The International Criminal Court is currently seeking arrest warrants for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his minister of military affairs Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes.
There are also calls for the court to investigate governments which have been accessories to Israeli crimes against Palestinians. The UK is a close ally of Israel and has provided material support for its ongoing extermination campaign in Gaza.
Karim Khan, ICC Chief Prosecutor: “On the basis of evidence, collected and examined by my office, the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and minister of military affairs, Yoav Gallant, bear criminal responsibility for the following international crimes, committed on the territory of the State of Palestine, from at least the eighth of October 2023.”
In the nearly seven months since October, the world has seen endlessly gruesome images emerging from the Gaza Strip and the ongoing Israeli extermination campaign. The Israeli regime and its allies have dismissed the ICC announcement. But its repercussions cannot be underestimated.
It is a significant announcement. It means that there are, potentially, arrest warrants against Gallant and Netanyahu. And of course, that’s been the purpose of the South African intervention.
David Miller, Director of Spinwatch, said: “In this case, other countries have joined in with the case, so it’s very significant and of course, they are charged with a series of, I think, six or seven crimes and that will have a significant impact on the ability of the Israelis to continue their genocide.”
If those arrest warrants are issued for the Israeli prime minister and minister of military affairs, then attention will probably also turn to foreign governments and officials who aided the Israeli regime in committing war crimes.
Chris Williamson, of the Workers Party of Britain, said: “The UK government is a close ally. Therefore if Netanyahu, or Gallant, finds himself on British territory, they would have to arrest them. However, if they refuse to do so, and it looks like they are not prepared to do that, then that’s really driving a Coach and Horses through the hole in a rules-based order, which they continually parade as if it’s some sort of sacrosanct system. And of course, it actually leaves them vulnerable as well because they are complicit in this genocide.”
Earlier this month, UK Foreign Minister David Cameron said it was unwise to halt weapons exports to Israel. Among other things, the UK produces parts used in Israel’s F-35 fighter jets, the same jets that have been dropping bombs on Gaza for months now.
The South African genocide case at the International Court of Justice, and months of public protests in the UK have failed to stop the British government’s military and diplomatic support for Israel.
But with more than 35,000 murdered Palestinians, will the ICC prosecutor general’s application for arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister change the UK government’s mind or will it continue to be complicit in genocide?
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