weekly report -25/11
ICC issues arrest warrants for Israeli PM Netanyahu, former defence minister Gallant, and Hamas commander Deif
On Thursday, November 21, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defence minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas military commander-in-chief Mohammed Deif. According to Le Monde, it is not clear whether Deif was killed in an Israeli strike in July. The ICC issued the warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant citing, in a November 21 report, their involvement and responsibility for “the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.” The report on the warrant for Deif cited crimes against humanity and war crimes including murder, extermination, torture, rape, and taking hostages. According to Le Monde, the warrants prompted Netanyahu to accuse ICC judges of being "driven by anti-Semitic hatred of Israel," while Gallant suggested that the decision “places the State of Israel and the murderous leaders of Hamas in the same row and thus legitimizes the murder of babies…”. The Palestinian Authority welcomed the ruling, stating that it “represents hope and confidence in international law and its institutions,” while Hamas called, without mentioning Deif, the warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant an “important step towards justice,” as per Al Jazeera. While the warrants legally oblige the 124 states party to the Rome Statute to arrest the subjects and transfer them to the Court, member states have had mixed reactions: The Guardian reported that France has claimed that Netanyahu has immunity from the ICC’s jurisdiction as Israel is not a party to the Rome Statute. However, Chatham House noted that crimes committed within territory of a member state (in this case, Palestine), puts involved Israeli nationals within ICC jurisdiction. Al Jazeera cited Neve Gordan, a professor of human rights law at Queen Mary University of London, according to whom the ICC decision implies that arms supplied by Western nations are used to “carry out crimes against humanity,” giving rise to reconsideration of these trade relations as a more direct impact of the ICC ruling.
Sources: ICC, Le Monde, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, Chatham House
Ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah declared
On Wednesday, November 27, a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect. According to the New York Times, the agreement, mediated by French and American diplomats, promises a 60-day truce. During this time, Israel would withdraw forces from southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah would move further up north from the border between the countries. This buffer zone would be protected by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeeping forces, in accordance with a 2006 UNSC resolution. The ceasefire was celebrated in Lebanon, with Lebanese PM Najib Mikati “calling for unity,” as stated by Al Jazeera, after 13 months of war since October 2023 that he described as the “most cruel phase in Lebanese history”. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu thanked US President Biden for American support in the ceasefire process, however noting Israel’s “freedom of action in enforcing (the ceasefire)”. While Al Jazeera reported that US President Joe Biden stated that the agreement was “designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities,” many note that the ceasefire is only a temporary solution that faces many obstacles: CNN reported accusations of ceasefire violations on both sides, while the New York Times cited the prevailing challenges already encountered by the 2006 Resolution after the previous Israel-Hezbollah war related to the effectiveness of the Lebanese military and the UN peacekeeping force. The ceasefire has prompted international actors to react: Many, including the Palestinian Authority, Hamas, Qatar, Turkey and Egypt, urged for an end to Israeli aggression in Gaza as well, as per Al Jazeera. According to the Times of Israel, Iran has indicated that the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel might ease the tensions between Iran and Israel, which Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says “depends on the behaviour of Israel.” UN chief Antonio Guterres described it as the “first ray of hope for peace amid the darkness of the past months,” as cited by the BBC.
Sources: New York Times, CNN, Al Jazeera, Times of Israel, BBC
Syrian civil war escalates as Aleppo becomes battleground
On Friday, November 29, Syrian insurgent groups reached the country’s largest city, Aleppo, in the most significant escalation in years in the 13-year civil war. According to AP News, the move into Aleppo was preceded by a “shock offensive” launched by the Hay’et Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group on Wednesday, November 27, in the northwest of the country. The UK-based monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), cited by the BBC, stated that by November 30, the rebels controlled the majority of Aleppo, which was confirmed by Syria’s military. The BBC stated that “more than 300 people - including more than 20 civilians - have been killed” since Wednesday. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, cited by Al Jazeera, “more than 14,000 people – nearly half are children – have been displaced.” According to CNN, the rebels’ moves were prompted in response to the hardened attacks from President Bashar al-Assad’s government and pro-Iran militia groups. The escalation comes against the backdrop of a power vacuum created by the Israeli blows on Iran-backed Hezbollah, as well as the weakening of the Syrian government, for example due to Russia’s focus on Ukraine since February 2022. On Saturday, November 30, Russia targeted the northwest of the country in strikes for the first time since 2016, as per the BBC. Russian governmental sources, cited by the Moscow Times, claimed that over 200 rebels had been “destroyed in the past 24 hours,” a figure that has not yet been confirmed.
Sources: AP News, BBC, Al Jazeera, CNN, Moscow Times
