Biden: What's happening is not genocide
Shafaq News / President Joe Biden strongly defended Israel on Monday, asserting that the Israeli forces are "not committing genocide" in their military campaign against Hamas in Gaza.
Biden also expressed his opposition to the International Criminal Court's (ICC) prosecutor's move to issue an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "We reject the ICC's application of arrest warrants against Israeli leaders — what's happening is not genocide," he stated.
He vehemently criticized the principle of equating Israel with Hamas, reaffirming Washington's commitment to Israel's security.
Additionally, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken firmly rejected ICC’s actions against Israel, its Prime Minister, and Defense Minister.
In his first statement, Benjamin Netanyahu called the decision by the ICC prosecutor against him "ridiculous," asserting that this move aims to target Israel as a whole.
Netanyahu rejected "the comparison by the ICC prosecutor in The Hague between democratic Israel and the killers from Hamas," stating, "How dare you compare Hamas, which has killed, burned, slaughtered, beheaded, raped, kidnapped our brothers and sisters, with the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces who are fighting a just war."
ICC’s chief prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan announced, on Monday, his intent to seek arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, and other senior Israeli and Palestinian figures due to their roles in the ongoing Gaza conflict.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also faces charges, as global and domestic pressure mounts on Israel to cease its Gaza military offensive and negotiate a ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas.
Khan accused Netanyahu and Gallant of committing war crimes, including the starvation of civilians, wilful killing, and targeting civilian populations, as part of a systematic attack against Palestinians.
Hamas leaders Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri and Ismail Haniyeh are also targeted for their roles in the October 7 attacks against Israel. Khan indicated that the crimes by both Israeli and Hamas leaders continue to this day.
Israel has been diplomatically attempting to prevent these ICC warrants. Despite Israel and the U.S. not recognizing the ICC's jurisdiction, the warrants could still restrict the travel of Israeli officials to countries that are ICC members. This situation places Netanyahu in a similar position to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who also faces an ICC arrest warrant.
The ICC, distinct from the International Court of Justice, investigates war crimes and crimes against humanity. It initiated a probe three years ago into alleged war crimes by both Israel and Palestinian militants dating back to the 2014 Israel-Hamas war. The ICC's current investigation, prompted by Hamas' October 7 attack, has intensified scrutiny of Israel's actions in Gaza.
The ongoing war claimed the lives of more than 35,000 palestinians and injured about 78,000 others, mostly women and children.
