International Criminal Court, last Monday: seeks arrest warrants for Benjamin #Netanyahu and Yoav #Gallant for criminal responsibility in starvation of civilians and crimes against humanity.
International Court of Justice, Friday: “Israel must immediately halt its military offensive and any other action in Rafah which may inflict on the Palestinian group in #Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part”
(1/2) #Israel's Defense Minister #Gallant: "We are fighting human #animals and we act accordingly."
President #Herzog: "It is an entire nation out there that is responsible. It's not true this rhetoric about civilians not aware, not involved. It's absolutely not true."
Minister of Heritage #Eliyahu:
"North Gaza is more beautiful than ever. Blowing up and flattening everything is amazing. Once we are finished, we will hand over the lands of #Gaza to the fighting soldiers and settlers"
#ICC Prosecutor states he has reasonable grounds to believe #Netanyahu and #Gallant have criminal responsibility for the following war crimes and crimes against humanity. Also seeks arrest warrants against Hamas leadership. #Gaza
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court says he is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Karim Khan said that he believes Netanyahu, his defense minister Yoav #Gallant and three Hamas leaders — Yehia #Sinwar, Mohammed #Deif and Ismail #Haniyeh — are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the #Gaza Strip and #Israel.
#Israel / High Court is hearing petitions challenging the military exemption for ultra-Orthodox #yeshiva students
This is a contentious issue that has sparked mass protests outside the court in Jerusalem. The "Movement for Quality Government", joined by "Brothers and Sisters in Arms" and 240 citizens, petitioned the court, arguing that Defense Minister Yoav #Gallant is illegally exempting tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox youths from military service, defying the law and court rulings. Last week, the state told the High Court of Justice that unless a military draft bill is advanced by April 1, ultra-Orthodox men will be conscripted to the army.
A reminder of the potential consequences of integrating settlers and ultra-Orthodox into the #IDF/#IOF:
[...] The Netzah Yehuda battalion was originally set up to allow ultra-Orthodox Israelis to serve in the military. But over the years, the unit has attracted not only some of the most religious soldiers, but also a growing number of far-right extremists, including many settlers. Unlike other units, enlistment in Netzah Yehuda is voluntary; until recently, it was deployed exclusively in the West Bank, where its members were in daily contact with Palestinians living under occupation. As such, the unit — whose name is an acronym for “Haredi Military Youth” — was known for getting “a lot of action,” the former member said.
[...] The harassment and dehumanization of Palestinians living under Israeli military occupation are a daily affair, and Netzah Yehuda soldiers are hardly the only culprits. But on some occasions, the unit’s actions in the West Bank escalated into gross human rights violations and potential war crimes. Since 2015, members of the unit have killed several Palestinians and beaten and tortured others with electric shocks, according to documentation submitted by DAWN to the ICC, which in 2021 opened an investigation into alleged crimes committed in the occupied territories.
Warrants could be issued this week against Netanyahu, Defense Minister #YoavGallant and army chief #HerzlHalevi. Some legal experts say the attorney general and army lawyers are partly to blame for not doing enough to prevent Israeli violations of #InternationalLaw
The #US abstention is likely to further strain US / #Israel relations amid sharp disagreements over Israel’s planned military offensive in #Rafah.
#Israeli DefMin Yoav #Gallant is in DC this wk, as the #Biden admin presses Israel not to attack the southern #Gaza city of Rafah. VP #Harris said such an offensive “would be a huge mistake,” w/ >1M people sheltering there. Asked if there would be “consequences” from the #UnitedStates for an Israeli op in Rafah, she said, “I am ruling out nothing.”
During #Biden’s speech on #healthcare yesterday he was interrupted by protesters advocating for #Palestinians in #Gaza. Instead of ignoring them & moving on, #POTUS responded, “They have a point; we need to get more care into Gaza.” He added, “Everybody deserves healthcare.”
The meeting came amid growing friction between the 2 #MNNA after the passage of a #UN resolution calling for an immediate #CeaseFire & Israel’s PM, #Netanyahu, cancelled a separate delegation to DC.
Remarks by #Gallant & #LloydAustin before the meeting underscored the divide. While both noted their countries’ commitment to #Israel’s #security, Gallant emphasized what he said was the urgent need to destroy #Hamas, secure the release of Israeli #hostages & “ensure Israel’s military edge & capabilities.”
The Israeli military has conducted missile strikes against Iran, a snr #UnitedStates#military ofcl told NPR Thurs. There are also reports of explosions in #Iraq & #Syria.
Iran's Fars News Agency says explosions were heard in the central city of #Isfahan, according to the Reuters News Agency.
The extent of Israel's strikes & the weapons used weren't clear.
They also spoke about the importance of increasing & sustaining the flow of #humanitarian#aid to #civilians in #Gaza, including via the new route from Ashdod Port in #Israel.
A snr US ofcl on Thurs night declined to say whether #Gallant gave #Austin any advance warning of an impending strike.
> Compte tenu des preuves recueillies et examinées par mon Bureau, j’ai de bonnes raisons de penser que la responsabilité pénale de Benjamin #NETANYAHU, [...] et de Yoav #GALLANT[...] est engagée pour les crimes de guerre et les crimes contre l’humanité ci-après commis sur le territoire de l’État de #Palestine (dans la bande de #Gaza) à compter du 8 octobre 2023 au moins.
The announcement that the #ICC prosecutor is seeking an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin #Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav #Gallant as well as #Hamas leaders Yahya #Sinwar and Ismail #Haniyeh is a signal to Israel that the international community will not accept the perpetration of war crimes in response to war crimes, says Yossi Mekelberg, Associate Fellow, MENA Programme at Chatham House. He spoke to France24's Mark Owen #Gaza#Israel
Israeli Defense Minister Gallant said: “I have ordered a complete siege on the Gaza Strip…No electricity, no food, no fuel. We are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly.”
That is what they have done.
The world community cannot allow this barbarism. pic.twitter.com/tnBHbadX2d
The International Criminal Court announced that it is filing arrest warrants for colonial prime minister Benjamin #Netanyahu and colonial war minister Yoav #Gallant, on the grounds that they have committed war crimes in their aggression on #Gaza. The charges leveled against them include intentional starvation, extermination, and persecution.
The Court is also issuing arrest warrants for the leader of Hamas in Gaza Yahya Sinwar, Commander-in-Chief Mohammed Deif, and head of #Hamas political bureau Ismail #Haniyeh.
🇫🇷 "France supports the International Criminal Court, its independence and the fight against impunity in every situation."
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs, France
The Israeli regime's war minister announced that the regime's army forces have withdrawn from #Khanyounis in #Gaza in order to prepare for the upcoming mission in #Rafah.
PS. There are unconfirmed reports that IDF lost 21 soldiers and offices in a single day of operation this weekend.