Haaretz: The International Criminal Court warrants puts Israel in an unprecedented moral low
The Israeli Haaretz newspaper spoke about the the International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant represent an unprecedented moral low for Israel.
Haaretz says that the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant place Israel at an unprecedented moral low, as a state whose leaders are accused of committing serious crimes against humanity and war crimes against the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip.
Haaretz reviews the charges against Netanyahu and Galant, which include responsibility for “starving millions of Palestinians in Gaza, who were displaced after being expelled from their destroyed homes, and depriving them of humanitarian aid, electricity, gasoline, food, water, medicine, and anesthetic supplies”.
In addition to “deliberate attacks” on civilians, killing children who “died of hunger and dehydration,” and other “inhumane acts”.
Haaretz touches on Israel’s efforts to prevent the issuance of arrest warrants, efforts it describes as a diplomatic and legal battle.
Haaretz says that these efforts began as soon as the International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan requested the issuance of arrest warrants, and that they failed.
Khan was also not deterred by the allegations of sexual harassment that were raised against him, and the Israeli judicial system, both military and civilian, did nothing to investigate these serious allegations, and the Israeli government refrained from forming an official commission of inquiry that could have investigated the International Criminal Court Prosecutor’s allegations.
The Israeli newspaper adds that Israel continues to operate in Gaza using the same methods described in the arrest warrants, and its methods have only led to deepening its grip on the Strip and deepening the ethnic cleansing of its population.
Haaretz believes that Israel’s problem at the moment isn’t that Netanyahu and Galant can travel freely while several countries are obliged to implement the arrest warrants, but rather that the problem lies in the horrific actions of the Israeli government and its army, as described by the International Criminal Court.
These actions are met with indifference by the Israeli public.
Haaretz added, “fact that Hamas committed horrific war crimes against Israelis and refused to surrender and release the hostages doesn’t justify the mass killing, deportation and destruction that Israel has inflicted on the Gaza Strip”.
Haaretz concludes its article by saying that it was hoped that the International Criminal Court announcement would raise questions in Israel about the morality of the war in Gaza, but the government and public opinion, backed by most of the media, refuse to listen.
