Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that if the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for him and other Israeli leaders over the genocidal campaign in Gaza, it would be an “antisemitic hate crime.”
Reports first surfaced over the weekend that the ICC might issue arrest warrants for Israeli leadership. “If this does happen, it will be an indelible stain on humanity. It would be an unprecedented antisemitic hate crime that would add fuel to the antisemitic incitement that is already raging in the world,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu added that other world leaders should come out against the ICC’s investigation of Israel. “Israel expects the leaders of the free world to come out strongly against this scandalous step, a step that will harm the self-defense not only of the State of Israel, but of all democracies,” he said.
The White House has come out against the ICC investigation of Israel and is working against the effort. “We’ve been really clear about the ICC investigation, that we don’t support it, we don’t believe that they have the jurisdiction,” said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
Russia has called the US out for hypocrisy since the Biden administration backed the ICC when it issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin last year. “Washington fully supported, if not stimulated, the issuance of ICC warrants against the Russian leadership,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. “The American political system does not recognize the legitimacy of this structure in relation to itself and its satellites.”
The US has opposed previous efforts by the ICC to investigate Israel and US actions in Afghanistan. The US’s position is that the ICC doesn’t have jurisdiction since the US and Israel are not parties to the court, but neither is Russia nor Ukraine.
In 2002, then-President George W. Bush signed a bill into law that would authorize the use of force to free any US service members or government officials brought to the ICC, which is based in the Hauge.
The controversial law, known as the American Service-Members’ Protection Act, authorizes the US to use “all means necessary and appropriate to bring about the release of any US or allied personnel being detained or imprisoned by, on behalf of, or at the request of the” ICC, and is nicknamed the Hague Invasion Act.
The ICC investigates individuals, while the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which is overseeing South Africa’s genocide case against Israel, settles disputes between states. The US has rejected the ICJ’s ruling that it’s “plausible” Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
“The Nuremberg executions took place on 16 October 1946, shortly after the conclusion of the Nuremberg trials. Ten prominent members of the political and military leadership of Nazi Germany were executed by hanging: Hans Frank, Wilhelm Frick, Alfred Jodl, Ernst Kaltenbrunner, Wilhelm Keitel, Joachim von Ribbentrop, Alfred Rosenberg, Fritz Sauckel, Arthur Seyss-Inquart, and Julius Streicher. Hermann Göring was also scheduled to be hanged on that day but committed suicide using a potassium cyanide capsule the night before. Martin Bormann was also sentenced to death in absentia; at the time his whereabouts were unknown, but it has since been confirmed that he died while attempting to escape Berlin on 2 May 1945.”
What’s your point?
That the law is still good law and applies to committers of genocide today. Let’s have a trial. What’s your point?
I wasn’t making a point I was asking a question.
I agree with your POV.
It is good law, the problem is the politicized international institutions which are supposed to enforce the law.
I agree. E.g., the ICC and UNSC. It’s also the domestic institutions. Section 1091 of Title 18, United States Code, prohibits genocide whether committed in time of peace or time of war.
An Arrest Warrant for Netanyahu and his Zionist THUGS would be an act of LOVE for Humanity and an act of stopping War Crimes. The World is waiting for Justice, waiting for War Criminals to be locked up, waiting for the Genocide of Palestinians to STOP. The ICC has more than enough evidence to issue arrest warrants, not just for Netanyahu, but Zionist Thugs around the World.
Hear hear so well put
It would be nice, but you know, since October 1946 nothing has changed.
That’s really all he’s got left, huh?
ICC: DO IT.
Right. Before the world he’s directly challenged the the mettle of their court. Fail here, and they’re just another parasitic ruling class bureaucracy, a faker court.
Don’t we know this already?
In a world of execrable politicians, Nutty has to be the worst … just the most vicious, tasteless, ridiculous, and ignoble leader one can imagine. In other words, perfect for the Israel of today.
I don’t know. What’s worse, a monster right out in the open or the one who feigns being an empath, but is equally vicious?
I know what you mean … I’ve always been partial to Glenn Ford’s (of Black Agenda Report) conception of “the more effective evil” being the D’s versus the obvious evil of the less effective (because worse at propaganda) R’s in the US.
But Nutty is pretty damn bad, though … there’s a stage where obvious meets horrifically effective that seems to me as bad as it gets.
Yes, great perspective from Glen Ford.
He makes even Genocide Joe and The Donald seem warm and cuddly–and honest too. Never thought it could be done, gotta hand it to him.
At this rate, pouring milk in your tea could be considered as antisemitic.
Zionists lie as naturally as they breath.
This is raving lunacy. He’s gone over the edge. Anyone else they’d be preparing the padded cell. Our polscum, our ‘leaders’, affirm and indulge him. Which is sick’r??
Bibi, listen its not who you are that matters,its WHAT YOU DO THAT DOES.
NO one is above the law
Biden and the Clintons were above the law.
Still are AFAICT.
Utterly insane!
May i present to you; the ‘Butcher of Gaza’ and assorted war crimes and crimes against humanity.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2d2d31dff5db2a1db60a0970c7859220ccd4fbfecd43e92da4c30f83da73e61e.jpg
He was part of the slaughter team of Iraq ,Syria,Libya and was keen to do ” an Iraq” on Iran.
A lot more anti antisemitism will be generated by this genocide on the mostly innocent 70% of whom are women & children. Also a lot of vile talk about “Erasing The Children” by Zionists who seem to have becum Nazis in all but name. .
“Israel is an apartheid state and its policies toward non-Jews are similar to those of Nazi Germany.”
Feel free to quote me on this, and let them come get me.
“Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is the truth” – Gandhi.
Notice the bastards say nothing about comparing them to WW2 Imperial Japan. Zio-Tojos it is until further notice!
Lol, lol, lol! I am near breathless at YoYo’s ridiculous sense of humor.
My sentiments, with regard to the man, are not exactly a secret but I do find him, entirely, invalid and useless. Yawn……………………………………..
By that logic a Jewish person cannot commit a crime.
If they protest against genocide clearly they are antisemitic criminals.
Netanyahu is saying that accusing Zionists of genocide is a crime against humanity, even if the accuser is a member of J_wish Voice for Peace. So a member of the first Abrahamic faith can still commit a crime by accusing another member of the faith of genocide.
Haven’t you been cautioned before about trying to game the moderation filters?
Did I say anything anti-Semitic?
I didn’t claim you said anything anti-semitic.
You can play by the rules, or you can be gone. Your call.
Interesting.
As I understand it the purpose of the “rule” is to prevent posting of anti-Semitic comments on the site.
The purpose empowering the moderator to ban people from the site is to enforce the rule to prevent anti-semitic comments from being posted on the site.
The purpose of the bots is to screen anti-semitic comments when the moderator isn’t online.
Now you are threatening to ban me for posting comments that are not anti-semitic. So instead of banning me for anti-semitic remarks you have now created a new offense that would ban people for insubordination to the AI.
That is mission creep.
I respectfully suggest that as a libertarian you consider the purpose of rules rather than mechanic of enforcement. Government started with people setting up authority to provide for mutual security and well being. Eventually the purpose of rules became to compel obedience to the authority, not to enhance the security and well being of the people. So ban me if you want. Or get smarter AI’s. Your call.
“The purpose of the bots is to screen anti-semitic comments when the moderator isn’t online.”
That’s incorrect.
The purpose of the bots is to hold comments for moderation based on filters indicating that those comments MAY contain guidelines-violating content.
Such comments get looked at by a human (almost always me), and if they do not violate our guidelines they are approved.
Trying to game the filters makes my job harder because it requires me to pay more careful attention to, and thus spend more time on, every comment that’s posted.
In other words, trying to game the filters is an attack on Antiwar.com because it attempts to thwart Antiwar.com’s system of enforcing its guidelines.
And those same guidelines forbid attacks on Antiwar.com.
So if you want to remain a commenter at Antiwar.com, cease the attacks on our ability to operate.
Libertarians believe in property rights. Antiwar.com owns this site and is fully within its rights to decide who gets to use it and how. That doesn’t conflict with libertarianism — it IS libertarianism. If my bosses call me up tomorrow and tell me to go murder someone, I’ll quit. In the meantime, when it comes to moderating comments, my opinions on issues are irrelevant. All that’s relevant is my judgment as to whether a comment or behavior violates rules set by the site’s owners.
Before you ban me permanently, I am curious to know whether you believe the Zionist actions in Palestine are genocidal. You used to repeatedly post that Israel cannot be committing genocide because the Palestinian population is increasing. That is still true, despite the slaughter of civilians.
The Palestinian annual birth rate has dropped to 1.61% per 1000 in 2024. But that means that more Palestinians have been born in the past 7 months than have been killed by Israel. Do you still believe there is no genocide happening in Gaza?
https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/HRV/palestine/birth-rate
I would rather NOT ban you permanently. And the comment in which you attempted to avoid our moderation filters would have been approved. It’s not the content that’s problematic — it’s that the filters are there for a reason, and creating EXTRA work for me by trying to game them will be treated as violating our guidelines.
As to the question of genocide, I completely agree that the Israeli actions in Gaza are genocidal both in likely effect and in stated intent, and that the Gaza matter is being used to promote increased ethnic cleansing in the West Bank as well.
But, a correction: What I said was not that Israel necessarily wasn’t attempting genocide, but rather that, at the time, if they WERE attempting genocide they weren’t doing so very successfully.
This proves that the man is deranged.
The crime minister is commenting a lot on upcoming ICC ruling…! That means he is scared and shi*ting in his pants…!
So, it’s OK for the ICC to issue a warrant for Putin, who was trying to evacuate children from a war zone, but it’s not OK for the ICC to issue a warrant for the butcher of Gaza, who is slaughtering innocent people every day? The US has brought shame to itself by unconditionally supporting the most reviled country in the world.
Throw them both in a cell. With Biden.
And the world is cluttered with idiots to whom this makes perfect sense.
Listening to US officials, so called main media personalities, and politicians speaking in defense of Israeli action one could not but conclude that they are on some kind of drug inducing psychosis that is causing lose touch with reality.
Hearing Bibi bray about “antisemitism” is like listening to the wolf who cried boy. Freedom of speech means that he and his fanboys can say it, but we are under no obligation to pay him any mind.
That being said, we should still be mindful of the punishment they can mete out to those who offend them, thanks to their influence over our government and institutions.
But a Zionist mob attacking peaceful protesters at UCLA is fine with the vile supporters of Israel.
Using the false paradigm of anti-Zionism = antisemitism is obviously a ploy for a get out of jail free card for genocide and various crimes against humanity.
They have used words like “antisemistuff” and “blood libel” so abusively, inaccurately and arbitrarly that these words became worn out and became without value or significance.
They are making it difficult to have even 0.1% sympathy for their deceitful actions, mischiefs and misbehaviors.
As Bassem Youssef said, antisemitism has become a comical accusation.
Something is not at all right when it’s extreme right wingers, nationalistic conservatives, bigots and chauvinists who are the ones supporting these words now.
The ICC has shown before that it is beholden to the influence or interests of nations in the region called West.
The entire international justice system needs to be reformed and renovated.
Great powers follow each other and go up then go down one after the other.
What will the arrogant militaristic Israelites who rely too much on the US support do when the United States experiences turmoil, disorders and changes, goes down and becomes a secondary power in the next couple of decades? I can be said that they are “betting on the wrong horse”.
Circumstances are changing and will change more. Justice and accountability are coming.
When the time is right everyone will be held accountable appropriately.
This shows how the smear of antisemitism has reached the lowest of lows. This proves that antisemitism accusation is not about exposing real “antisemitism” but is used to silence any one who question Israeli government actions and justify its genocidal policies.
Oh my. The greatest threat to inflaming antisemitism is Netanyahu.
So, Is Netanyahu saying that Jews can’t be arrested?
“We’ve been really clear about the ICC investigation, that we don’t support it, we don’t believe that they have the jurisdiction,” said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
Palestine is signatory to the ICC statute, and has granted the court jurisdiction.
https://www.icc-cpi.int/sites/default/files/itemsDocuments/palestine/210215-palestine-q-a-eng.pdf
Notice that this was decided three years ago, in relation to an ICC investigation of the actions of both Israel and Hamas. And that the court has been exercising its jurisdiction over both parties in Palestine for quite some time, well before the events of 2023 and 2024.
So, what is the basis for the White House position?
Funny too that Russia, like Israel (and the USA), is not a signatory to the ICC, and yet the USA has no problem with the ICC exercising its jurisdiction over Russia’s action in the Ukraine. Indeed, in a major shift in US policy towards the court, the US began sharing what it considers to be “evidence” of Russia’s war crimes in the Ukraine with the court. And that is true even though the Ukraine, unlike Palestine, is itself not a full signatory to the ICC statute.
https://www.icc-cpi.int/situations/ukraine
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/26/us/politics/biden-russia-war-crimes-hague.html
The ICC, far from being unfair to Israel (much less “antisemitic”) has bent to the will of the USA (which, again, is not even a member), and made a huge priority of investigating events in the Ukraine, while slow walking, at best, the preceding investigation into events in Palestine.
https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/where-does-the-icc-palestine-investigation-stand
Notice too that the White House spokesperson did not deny the possiblity of Israeli crimes in Gaza, only the jurisdiction of the ICC. Even assuming the legal position regarding the lack of jurisdiction was correct, why should the government of the USA focus on that, as opposed to the substantive question of war crimes and crimes against humanity? The legalistic posturing here reeks.
“So, what is the basis for the White House position?”
“Must keep AIPAC $ flowing into muh coffers!!!”
If arresting Bibi is antisemitic, then I’m a proud antisemite!
Anti-Semitism makes every crime legal, and every war criminal a victim, one could not ask for a bigger and better sheet to hide under.
Maybe the US Congress can shoehorn this into their latest definition of antisemitism as well!
The US of representatives in lock step with Bibi and under his directions passes a bill defining anti-semitism to include criticism of the state of Israel.
“ The House passed the Antisemitism Awareness Act on Wednesday amid unrest on college campuses.
The bill, which was introduced by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, passed 320-91.
The measure was led by Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., and had 15 Democratic co-sponsors. Many Republicans and Democrats who voted against the bill said it infringes on free speech.
It requires the Department of Education to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism when enforcing federal anti-discrimination laws. The working definition says antisemitism is in-part “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews.” The definition includes denying Jewish people their right to self-determination by claiming that the State of Israel is a racist state and drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis”
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/house-vote-gop-antisemitism-bill-amid-college-unrest/story?id=109830325
Israel expects the support of the free world whilst denying freedom of the press, and equivocating disagreements with their gov’t with hate speech. What a lot of chutzpah that takes. Too bad Congress has lain in bed with them so long, they can’t see what that dog has done to their toes.