Arnaud Bertrand has an excellent summary on this, including some rather eye opening details regarding a little known US law. Could we be about to see a showdown between the Rule of Law and the Rule of … Rules? The Rule Based Imperial Order?
Arnaud Bertrand @RnaudBertrand
Wow. Given how much Israeli officials freak out about this over the past 2 days (with Netanyahu for instance commenting it "will not affect Israel's actions"), it seems real. If it indeed goes through, expect another epic battle between the "Rules-Based Order" and international law.
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Globe Eye News @GlobeEyeNews
BREAKING: The International Criminal Court will issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and other Israeli officials this week, reports say.
Arnaud Bertrand @RnaudBertrand
The US is on the case, and by "strenuous diplomatic efforts" they undoubtedly mean good old fashion threats (as a reminder they've already frozen bank accounts of ICC officials in the past)
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Quds News Network @QudsNen
The Biden administration is exerting strenuous diplomatic efforts to prevent the International Criminal Court from issuing arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials, including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, according to Israeli media reports.
Arnaud Bertrand @RnaudBertrand
More on the US and the ICC, so that you better understand the sorts of "diplomatic efforts" they might be looking into:
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Arnaud Bertrand @RnaudBertrand
As reports come in that the International Criminal Court (ICC) might issue warrants for the Israeli leadership, this is a good time to remind folks of one of America's most insane pieces of legislation.
Known colloquially as the "Hague Invasion Act", that law authorizes the president of the U.S. "to use all means necessary [including an invasion of the Netherlands where the ICC is located] to bring about the release of any person described in subsection (b) who is being detained or imprisoned by, on behalf of, or at the request of the International Criminal Court" (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Service-Members%27_Protection_Act…).
The persons described in subsection (b), as mentioned in the text, include not only "Covered United States persons" (i.e. US military personnel, US officials, etc.) but also "Covered allied persons", meaning military personnel, or government officials of US allies, of which Israel is very much a part of!
This is a PERFECT illustration of the immense disregard the US actually has for International Law, and it goes a long way to explain why institutions like the ICC are more than reluctant to go after the West at large (the US and its allies). They might literally be raided by the US military, talk about obstruction of justice!
And this isn't theoretical, the US has in fact been extremely hostile against the ICC in the past when they attempted to hold the US and its allies accountable. For instance starting in 2019 the US implemented sanctions and travel restrictions against ICC employees engaged in investigating potential allied war crimes in Afghanistan. As part of this the ICC's Chief Prosecutor at the time, Fatou Bensouda, and the Head of the Jurisdiction, Complementarity, and Cooperation Division, Phakiso Mochochoko, were both subjected to asset freezes and travel bans.
The "Rules Based Order" in all its glory...
Now, this next article explains why some US officials may be concerned—for themselves. Bear in mind that USAID has a long history of working hand in glove with the CIA:
Leaked USAID Document Concludes Israel Impeded Gaza Aid
Officials at the United States Agency for International Development concluded in a confidential memo to Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Israel is violating a White House directive by blocking humanitarian aid from entering the besieged Gaza Strip during its ongoing genocidal assault on the Palestinian enclave, according to a report published Friday.
Devex‘s Colum Lynch reported that the confidential communication – entitled Famine Inevitable, Changes Could Reduce But Not Stop Widespread Civilian Deaths – states that USAID “assesses the government of Israel (GOI) does not currently demonstrate necessary compliance” with a February 8 White House memo requiring the secretary of state to obtain assurances from governments receiving U.S. military aid that such assistance is used in compliance with human rights law.
The USAID memo raises “serious concerns that the killing of nearly 32,000 people, of which the GOI itself assesses roughly two-thirds are civilians, may well amount to a violation of the international humanitarian law.” That figure is now over 34,300 deaths, with at least 77,293 people injured and over 11,000 others missing and presumed buried beneath the rubble of hundreds of thousands of bombed-out buildings.
The document states that the “deterioration of food security and nutrition in Gaza is unprecedented in modern history, exponentially outpacing in six months the long-term declines that led to the only other two famine declarations in the 21st century: Somalia (2011) and South Sudan (2017).”
… (losts more)
Doug Macgregor today—bear this in mind during the coming days:
It is now very clear Gaza has been a catastrophe for the Israeli Defense Force.
Clearly it is a failure.
The mission to eradicate, root out and destroy Hamas has failed.
I personally believe Mr. Netanyahu recognizes they have thus far failed in Gaza.
The question is, what will they do next.
Gaza has also been a catastrophe for Israel’s Partners in Crime.
This article is flawed. The giveaway is that it states the U.S. is trying to help Israel. That is not at all what is being reported in Israel. Biden has secretly dropped all sanctions against the Court that Trump put in place. If Israel agrees to a Palestinian state and stops plans to invade Southern Gaza we will return the sanctions. The court cannot indict Israel without the U.S letting them. The problem is Biden has removed the sanctions so the U.S. is at risk as well. The pro-DNC media is trying to avoid saying Biden secretly dropped the Trump sanctions.
ICC can't act against Israel without US backing — Israeli official
“Where is [US President Joe] Biden? Why is he quiet while Israel will potentially be thrown under the bus?” the source said.
By TOVAH LAZAROFF, ZVIKA KLEIN
APRIL 28, 2024 07:26
Updated: APRIL 28, 2024 09:51
https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-798932
"For instance starting in 2019 the US implemented sanctions and travel restrictions against ICC employees engaged in investigating potential allied war crimes in Afghanistan." Other reasons for removing the teeth of the paper ICC tiger included sniffing around Ukraine conflict post Maiden.
https://www.rferl.org/a/icc-ukraine-war-crimes/30996941.html
Shoo fly... go away.