President Joe Biden denounced the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
“The ICC issuance of arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is outrageous. Let me be clear once again: whatever the ICC might imply, there is no equivalence — none — between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security,” Biden declared.
Earlier in the day, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated the administration’s opposition to the ICC’s move and criticized other nations that chose to support the court’s decision.
“We are not going to be executing any arrest warrants, that is not something we are going to do from here,” she firmly stated.
Jean-Pierre also argued that the ICC’s process lacked integrity, explaining, “In contrast to how he (the prosecutor) has treated others, including (Venezuelan President) Nicolás Maduro and his associates, he failed to provide Israel with a meaningful opportunity to engage constructively and to properly consider its domestic processes. This calls into question the credibility of the prosecutor’s investigation and the decision today.”
She further emphasized that “we believe, and we’ve been clear, that the ICC does not have the jurisdiction over this matter. So we’ve been very clear about that and that stance has not changed.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu issued a response in English, condemning the ICC’s actions.
“The antisemitic decision of the international court in The Hague is a modern Dreyfus trial, and it will end the same way. One hundred and thirty years ago, the French Jewish officer Alfred Dreyfus was falsely accused of treason by a biased French court. In response to these false accusations, the great French writer Émile Zola wrote his monumental essay, J’Accuse. He accused the French court of antisemitic lies against an innocent officer, who was later exonerated of all guilt,” Netanyahu stated.
Netanyahu accused the ICC of repeating a historic injustice: “Now, an international court in The Hague, also headed by a French judge, is repeating this outrageous offense. It is falsely accusing me, the democratically elected prime minister of the State of Israel and Israel’s former defense minister Yoav Gallant, of deliberately targeting civilians, this when we do everything in our power to avoid civilian casualties.”
The Prime Minister pointed to Israel’s extensive efforts to protect civilians during conflicts with Hamas.
“We issue millions of text messages, phone calls, leaflets to the citizens of Gaza to get them out of harm’s way – while the Hamas terrorists do everything in their power to keep them in harm’s way, including shooting them, using them as human shields,” he said.
He also dismissed claims of a starvation policy, stating, “The court in The Hague accuses us of a deliberate policy of starvation. This, when we have supplied Gaza with 700,000 tons of food to feed the people of Gaza. That’s 3,200 calories for every man, woman, and child in Gaza. And these supplies are routinely looted by Hamas terrorists, who deprive their people of much-needed food.”
Netanyahu highlighted Israel’s humanitarian actions, even in difficult circumstances. “Yet just in the last few weeks, Israel facilitated the vaccination of 97 percent of the people of Gaza against polio. This doesn’t prevent the court from accusing us of genocide,” he said.
Expressing disbelief, Netanyahu asked, “What in God’s name are they talking about in The Hague? The truth is simple. No war is more just than the war that Israel has been waging in Gaza after Hamas attacked us unprovoked, launching the worst massacre against the Jewish people since the Holocaust.”
{Matzav.com}
This statement from Sleazy Joe Bribem is the equivalent of his telling Iran “don’t”
Bribem created this problem by enabling the ICC, just like he caused this war by enabling Iran, then he makes lame statements. Just more virtue signalling.
Sleazy joe is like a mafia boss who orders a hit on a man and his wife and then sends condolences to the orphans.
Bribem’s support of Israel is IRANclad.
Joe Biden is a man of the people. A genuine leader.