BLOG

The ICJ issues arrest warrant for Netanyahu

Yesterday the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and others on charges of genocide. The American judge also voted in favor of these warrants.

https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/05/1150196

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday issued new provisional measures that order Israel to immediately end military operations in Rafah in southern Gaza and to open the governate’s border crossing for urgent aid deliveries.

Israel’s military response has, to date, killed nearly 36,000 Palestinians and caused widespread destruction and a looming famine in the besieged and bombarded enclave.

Netanyahu vowed to ignore this ruling, once again citing his right to defense, as if killing tens of thousands of civilians—mostly women and children—is a lawful defense. While the killing continues on the surface, Hamas fighters are largely unaffected, because they remain in underground tunnels. Israeli claims to have killed or eliminated thousands of Hamas fighters is based largely on the estimated number of military-age men who are bombed in their homes, along with their families.

https://republicangazette.com/gaza-under-siege-israeli-attacks-persist-despite-icj-order/?utm_source=pb_rg&lctg=2547286948116

Rafah, Gaza Strip – Despite the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordering Israel to cease its military operation in Rafah, the city continues to face relentless attacks. Reports of multiple deaths have emerged from central and northern Gaza as they bear the brunt of renewed assaults.

On Saturday, the Shaboura camp and areas near the Kuwaiti Hospital in Rafah were targeted, causing injuries to several individuals who were subsequently transferred to the hospital for treatment. Amidst the ongoing violence, the hospital is appealing for fuel deliveries to ensure its operation, highlighting the dire situation in the region.

The ICJ’s ruling, the third of its kind this year, aimed to halt Israel’s offensive in Rafah due to the significant risk it posed to the 1.4 million Palestinians seeking refuge in the area. Over 800,000 Palestinians have been displaced since the start of the Israeli offensive on May 7, contributing to a growing humanitarian crisis in the region.

The UN’s efforts to reduce the escalating death toll in Palestine and alleviate the suffering of the displaced population have been met with criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Despite calls for sanctions against Israel for defying the court’s ruling, the conflict shows no signs of abating.

Netanyahu’s travels will be restricted to the few countries that also defy the ICJ. Because the ICJ is a UN organization, all UN member countries are bound by its ruling. Except, of course, for the US, which has declared itself to be “exceptional,” and the Israelis, who consider themselves to be "chosen." (The impartial God of the Bible disagrees.)