2024-05-02 14:43:32
mention the location “AxiosThe Israeli government has warned the administration of US President Joe Biden that if the International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants against Israeli leaders, it will consider the Palestinian Authority responsible and take retaliatory measures against it that could lead to its collapse, according to Israeli authorities. » US officials said.
The website explains that among possible measures Israel could take in retaliation is freezing the transfer of tax revenue collected by the Israeli government to the Palestinian Authority. Without these funds, the Palestinian Authority would be bankrupt.
The International Criminal Court, which can charge individuals with war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, is investigating the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 and the devastating Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip. by Hamas, which is now in its seventh month.
Netanyahu is in the crosshairs of the International Criminal Court. The repercussions in Israel
Israel is in a state of “confusion,” according to the Haaretz newspaper, in light of the possibility that its Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, its Defense Minister, Yoav Galant, as well as the Chief of Staff of the army, Herzi Halevy, are arrested. arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Gaza.
A senior Israeli official told Axios that the threat of arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court was real and stressed that if such a scenario occurred, the Israeli government would likely make a formal decision to punish the Palestinian Authority, which which could lead to its collapse. .
Two U.S. officials said Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call that Israel’s Channel 12 report that indicated the U.S. may have given the court a “green light” international criminal law to issue arrest warrants against Israeli leaders, is incorrect.
Biden emphasized on the call that the United States opposes the International Criminal Court’s investigation against Israel.
Two U.S. officials told the website that the Biden administration had privately informed ICC officials that arrest orders against Israeli leaders would be a mistake and that the United States did not support such action.
A US official said: “We are quietly encouraging the ICC not to do this, because it would blow things up and Israel would retaliate against the Palestinian Authority. »
The official added that while there is pressure on the ICC prosecutor to issue these arrest warrants, the Biden administration does not believe the move is as imminent as Israelis believe.
Netanyahu said that if the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for government officials on charges related to the conduct of Israel’s war against Hamas, it would constitute a “historic scandal.”
Israeli officials have expressed concern in recent days that the International Criminal Court is issuing arrest warrants for senior government officials, in what could be “the most serious international legal action taken against Israel.” since the outbreak of war in Gaza in October.
The International Criminal Court can charge individuals with war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, and is currently investigating Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7 and the devastating Israeli military campaign in the Strip. Hamas-ruled Gaza, now in its seventh month.
Israel says the Hamas attack killed around 1,200 people, while Gaza’s health ministry reported that more than 34,500 Gazans were killed in the Israeli military campaign, most of the 2.3 million ‘people being displaced and large areas of the strip destroyed.
United Nations agencies and human rights groups accuse Israel of violating international humanitarian law during its military operation in Gaza, which Israel denies.
Israel is not a member of the International Criminal Court and does not recognize its jurisdiction, but the Palestinian territories were accepted as a member state in 2015.
The court’s prosecutor, Karim Khan, said in October that the court had jurisdiction to investigate possible war crimes committed by Hamas militants in Israel and Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu said any arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court would not affect Israeli proceedings, adding that it would be the first time the court had accused a democratic country of committing war crimes.
He added: “I want to make one thing clear: no decision, neither in The Hague nor elsewhere, will affect our determination to achieve all the objectives of the war: the release of all hostages, complete victory over Hamas and the commitment that Gaza will no longer pose any threat to Israel. »
Sources told Reuters that International Criminal Court prosecutors conducted interviews with employees of Gaza’s two largest hospitals, the first confirmation that court investigators conducted interviews with doctors regarding possible crimes in Gaza.
A source said events near the two hospitals could be part of the court’s investigation.
1714672305
#Israel #informs #Biden #administration #international #legal #measure