[IMPORTANT] Hamas launches foot assault against settlements.

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Israel is now officially ruled by war criminals.

https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/situation- ... challenges

Israel is now officially ruled by war criminals.

https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/situation- ... challenges

Italy, the Netherlands and Canada on Thursday said they would comply with the International Criminal Court's (ICC) arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

The Hague-based court announced the warrants earlier in the day, accusing Netanyahu and Gallant of war crimes and crimes against humanity over the war in Gaza. It also issued a warrant for the Palestinian resistance group's military chief Mohammed Deif.

Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said his country would be obliged to arrest Netanyahu if he visited.

Crosetto – whose country holds the G-7 rotating presidency this year – told RAI television's Porta a Porta program that he believed the ICC was "wrong" to put Netanyahu and Gallant on the same level as Hamas.

But he said that if Netanyahu or Gallant "were to come to Italy, we would have to arrest them."

It was not a political choice but Italy was bound as a member of the ICC to act on the court's warrants, Crosetto said.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani had earlier been more cautious, saying: "We support the ICC, while always remembering that the court must play a legal role and not a political role.

"We will evaluate together with our allies what to do and how to interpret this decision."

The warrant marked the first time that a sitting leader of a major Western country has been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity by a global court of justice.

The ICC panel said there were reasonable grounds to believe that both Netanyahu and his ex-defense minister bear responsibility for the war crime of starvation and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and other inhumane But he said that if Netanyahu or Gallant "were to come to Italy, we would have to arrest them."

It was not a political choice but Italy was bound as a member of the ICC to act on the court's warrants, Crosetto said.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani had earlier been more cautious, saying: "We support the ICC, while always remembering that the court must play a legal role and not a political role.

"We will evaluate together with our allies what to do and how to interpret this decision."

The warrant marked the first time that a sitting leader of a major Western country has been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity by a global court of justice.

The conflict started after Hamas' cross-border attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people.

Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp, whose country hosts the International Criminal Court, has confirmed the Netherlands would arrest Netanyahu if he arrived on Dutch soil.

"The line from the government is clear. We are obliged to cooperate with the ICC... we abide 100% by the Rome Statute," Veldkamp said in response to a question in parliament Thursday.

Josep Borrell, the European Union's foreign policy chief, underlined that the arrest warrants are a legal and not political matter, and that they are binding on all 27 EU member countries and other signatories to the ICC to implement.

"The tragedy in Gaza has to stop," Borrell told reporters during a visit to Jordan on Thursday. "It is not a political decision. It is the decision of an international court of justice, and the decision of the court has to be respected, and implemented."

"This decision is a binding decision on all state parties of the court, which include all members of the European Union," he added.

Separately, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau affirmed his country's support and compliance with the ICC warrants.

"First of all, as Canada has always said, it's really important that everyone abide by international law. This is something we've been calling on from the beginning of the conflict," Trudeau told reporters in the Toronto area.

Canada is one of the founding members of the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice.

Asked whether Netanyahu and Gallant would be arrested if they stepped foot in Canada, Trudeau said, "We stand up for international law, and we will abide by all the regulations and rulings of the international courts."

He noted the need to find a solution to the genocide in the Gaza Strip. "We need to see aid flowing into people who are facing famine and disease," he said.

Urging that all hostages should be released, Trudeau stressed the importance of a cease-fire and to "get back on track towards a two-state solution, with a peaceful Israel living alongside a peaceful Palestinian state."

The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) described Trudeau's remarks as "a serious and major step forward on the road to justice for Gaza and Palestine."

"Today, the Prime Minister did that in accepting that Canada would recognize the arrest warrants. This means, in theory, that Netanyahu and Gallant could be arrested if they stepped foot in Canada," it said.

Emphasizing that it is "an important moment," the Muslim group stated that "Canada has chosen to do the right thing."

It is an important step forward and we must continue to uphold international law and our commitment to human rights," it added.

Dozens of Jewish extremists in Hebron for an annual pilgrimage tried to attack the head of the IDF Central Command Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth who was in the flashpoint West Bank city to secure the gathering, the military says.

Five suspects have been arrested by police after they chased Bluth and the soldiers accompanying him, calling the IDF commander a “traitor.” The head of Central Command typically has a fraught relationship with settler extremists, since the army is tasked with trying to keep them in check in the West Bank.

The IDF says that the group of young suspects chased Bluth and tried to block an exit that the military needed for operational activity.

After five suspects were arrested, the gathering of rioters was dispersed, the army says, adding that it strongly condemns the violence on display this evening.

Each year, tens of thousands of Jewish worshippers visit Hebron for the annual pilgrimage tradition. Successive years have seen Jewish rioters target Palestinian locals whose movement in the city is further restricted by the IDF to secure the area for the pilgrims.

New Defense Minister Israel Katz announced an end to administrative detention orders for West Bank settlers on Friday, meaning Israel will now be using the controversial policy of holding suspects without charge only against Palestinian terror suspects.

While the practice is primarily deployed against Palestinians, it is also used against some extremist Jewish Israelis, which has drawn increasing criticism of the ruling Likud party by far-right coalition members. The measure sees individuals held without charge for up to six months at a time. The detentions can be renewed indefinitely while allowing military prosecutors to keep suspects from being able to see the evidence against them.

“In a reality where the Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria is subject to serious Palestinian terror threats and unjustified international sanctions are taken against the settlers, it is not appropriate for the State of Israel to take such a severe measure against the people of the settlements,” Katz said in a statement, referring to the West Bank by its biblical name.

Katz met with Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar this week and told him that he had decided “to stop the use of administrative detention orders against Jewish settlers in Judea and Samaria, and asked him to put alternative tools in place,” Katz’s office said.

The Shin Bet has reportedly warned against the move, with Bar saying in June that banning the measure against Israelis “will result in an immediate, severe and serious harm to the security of the state” in cases where there is clear information that a suspect may carry out a terror attack.

The Palestinian Authority swiftly hit out at the decision saying that it “encourages extremist settlers to commit terrorism against Palestinians, their land and their properties, while giving them an additional sense of impunity and protection.”

Administrative detention policies allow the Defense Ministry to hold suspects without charge, while administrative restraining orders bar them from visiting certain areas or communicating with certain people. The tool is typically used when authorities have intelligence tying a suspect to a crime but do not have enough evidence for charges to stand up in a court of law.

Above article sounds very curious to me . Do not think Israrl should have any "Say So" about the settlors on Palestinian
lands , Would expect the Palestinians to have absolute Authority in this situation ..And given the behaviour of past settlelors deporting them , might not be enough . Possibly War crimes jurisdiction for attempting to take over Palestinian Nations properties . ! .

Not much legal knowledge about this FWIW despite fighting for it for decades while there is a Palestinian Authority there is no official Palestinian State yet. The West Bank is considered “occupied territories”. Under any name violence for the purpose of ethnic cleansing is considered a crime.

The war cabinet is expected to convene on Tuesday to finalize.
US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron are expected to announce tomorrow a 60 day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, according to a report in the Saudi news outlet Al-Sharq Al-Awast.

The war cabinet is set to convene on Tuesday to approve a pending ceasefire that would bring an end to hostilities on Israel's northern border with Lebanon. An Israeli official told Reuters that the cabinet would convene to discuss a deal that could be cemented in the coming days.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly has approved a ceasefire with Lebanon "in principle" while meeting with Israeli officials on Sunday evening, citing outstanding issues before approval.

Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said that a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon would hinge on enforcement that would keep Hezbollah disarmed and away from the border.

"The test for any agreement will be one, not in words or phrasing, but in enforcement only of the two main points. The first is preventing Hezbollah from moving southward beyond the Litani (River), and the second, preventing Hezbollah from rebuilding its force and rearming in all of Lebanon," Saar said in Knesset, in broadcast remarks

The source said that Israel still has reservations about certain details, which will reportedly be transferred to the Lebanese government on Monday.

Lebanon's deputy speaker of parliament Elias Bou Saab told Reuters on Monday that there were "no serious obstacles" left to beginning the implementation of a US-proposed 60-day truce to end fighting between Israel and Lebanon-based terror organization Hezbollah
"There appear to be no serious obstacles in the way of starting to implement the US proposed ceasefire agreement," Bou Saab said.

Bou Saab said the proposal included a 60-day timeline for Israeli forces to withdraw from Lebanese territory, giving time for the Lebanese army to deploy to southern Lebanon.

According to the spokesman, one focal point being negotiated is who would monitor the ceasefire, and that a five-country committee would be set up to monitor, including France and chaired by the United States.

A Lebanese official and Western diplomat told Reuters that the US had informed Lebanese officials a ceasefire could be announced "within hours."

CNN reported that several details are still being negotiated, and the agreement will not be solidified until every issue is resolved.

France, which Lebanon sought the involvement of in negotiations, was met with restraint in negotiations after announcing that the European nation would enforce the ICC warrants. Netanyahu was displeased with one of the key parties overseeing agreement implementation.
According to Axios, US President Joe Biden spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron to try to come to a solution. The report alleges that Biden told Macron that Netanyahu was within his rights to be angry and that mediation would not be possible between parties when one is pledging to arrest the head of state of one of the negotiating parties.

Israel's motivation to finalize ceasefire
Overnight, reports from international media suggested significant American guarantees were on the table. Other sources pointed to Israel's motivation to finalize the ceasefire at this specific time.

Israeli state broadcaster KAN cited Israeli sources saying that an agreement with Lebanon may already be reached this week.

Israeli public officials have responded to reports of a pending ceasefire.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called an agreement with Lebanon "a big mistake. A historic missed opportunity to eradicate Hezbollah. I understand all the constraints and reasons, and it is still a grave mistake," he wrote on social media platform

The Israeli military is dealing with a substantial drop in the number of reserve soldiers willing to report for duty in the ongoing war on Gaza and Lebanon, the Israeli Yedioth Ahronoth has reported.

“According to the military there is a decline of 15% to 25% in reservists willing to report to a new round of duty including in combat units fighting in Gaza and South Lebanon,” the report said.

It said that in the first months of the war, “100% of soldiers serving in the reserves showed up to join the fight,” adding that even though all positions were filled, “many insisted on being deployed and some even returned from travel abroad to enlist.”

In recent weeks, however, the figures in the reserve units have dropped to “an average of 75-85 percent.”

‘Stems from Exhaustion’
The main reason for the decline “stems from exhaustion,” the report stated, as the reserve forces served “for months at a time and were repeatedly called up again and again in the year since the war broke out.

The resource of reservists is not unlimited, and it is extremely difficult for people to be absent so much in the middle of life. That is why there is a silent drop in the numbers of soldiers reporting for duty,” Israeli military officials are quoted as saying.

“The reservists often do not protest or make public declarations and we cannot argue, fight them, or demand by force they serve,” they added.

In the new year, reserve soldiers would be required to serve at least 100 days “and be called up for 45 to 60 days every four months on average,” the report stated.

Funds Allocation
Israeli security officials also warned that the government “has yet to allocate funds for financial for soldiers in the reserves, many of whom lost businesses and income.”

In total, the funds allocated for reservists last year reached about nine billion shekels, the report said, with each reservist receiving “tens of thousands of shekels”.

However, this time, “nothing assures the reservists they will be appropriately compensated for their service…”

The Finance Ministry, however, hopes to “buy” the reservists “with various other economic benefits,” the report said.

The military has urged the government to double or triple “the previous amount of reserve duty and also extend the period of mandatory service from 32 months to three full years” to meet the growing demands of the military.

The legislation has however been delayed while politicians “push ahead with a so called draft bill that legalizes draft dodging” by Haredi (Orthodox) men, the report said.

Haredi parties are demanding a bill “to exempt some 60,000 ultra-Orthodox men every year in the years to come,” it added.

US defense lawyer and former Harvard professor Alan Dershowitz is assembling a team to defend Israeli leaders in The Hague, he announced in a Sunday Wall Street Journal op-ed.
Dershowitz noted that the case would be tried in the court of public opinion as well as in The Hague.

For that reason, I am assembling a team of world-class lawyers from around the globe to help defend Israeli leaders against the false charges," Dershowitz wrote.

In the WSJ op-ed, Dershowitz added that several prominent lawyers have already promised to join the legal battle, including multiple former US attorneys and a former FBI director.

No jurisdiction against Israel
“We will argue that the ICC has no jurisdiction against Israel, not only because it isn’t a member, but also because the treaty that established that court precludes it from considering cases against any country with a valid judicial system that is willing and able to investigate the alleged crimes,” he wrote.

We will also demonstrate that Israel’s actions in Gaza don’t violate any international law or laws of war over which the ICC has jurisdiction.”

Germany, which supplies 30% of Israel’s military equipment, expressed criticism of the petition for arrest warrants, saying that the court had no jurisdiction since Israel has not signed the Rome Statute. Nevertheless, Germany has made clear in the past that it will respect the ICC’s decisions.

Dershowitz continued, “By issuing arrest warrants… the court is seeking to equate the terrorism of Hamas, which murdered, raped, and kidnapped approximately 1,450 Israelis, mostly civilians, with the self-defense efforts of Israel to prevent a promised recurrence of Oct. 7.”

The next significant development could be a civil war.

It may begin as a conflict between the Lebanese Army and Hezbollah, eventually leading to divisions within the Army itself.

Alternatively, the agreement might fail to be implemented, with hostilities resuming within 60 days—or even sooner.

At least, that’s my prediction.