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If the headlines in Israel were anything to go by, the request by the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor for an arrest warrant against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seemed to have granted the Israeli leader one of the most fortuitous turnarounds in his long and turbulent political career. “The Hypocrisy of The Hague,” blared Tuesday’s front page of Yediot Ahronot, a popular mainstream daily that has often been critical of Mr. Netanyahu. Political rivals in Israel offered support. American officials, who had been critical of his plan to invade Rafah, roundly condemned the I.C.C. In the hours and days before, Mr. Netanyahu had appeared embattled, both domestically and internationally.
Persons: Court’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, , Netanyahu, Karim Khan, Yoav Gallant Organizations: Mr, Israel Locations: Israel, Hague, Gaza, Rafah
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would effectively become a pariah who wouldn't be able to travel to most countries if the International Criminal Court were to approve the arrest warrant. Those 124 countries would be duty-bound to arrest Netanyahu were the court to issue an arrest warrant for him. Already France and Belgium have issued statements in support of the ICC‘s requests for Netanyahu’s arrest warrant. In the United States, there has been predictable pushback against the ICC move to try to issue an arrest warrant against Netanyahu. The ICC’s move to seek an arrest warrant for Netanyahu may only harden his resolve to continue the war in Gaza seemingly indefinitely.
Persons: Peter Bergen, , Qatar CNN —, Moammar Gadhafi, Vladimir Putin, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Joan Donoghue, Abir, Karim Khan, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Yoav Gallant, Khan, Yahya Sinwar, Israel, Israel’s, Mitch McConnell fulminated, Joe Biden, Putin, Putin “, he’s, Republican Sen, Lindsey Graham of, Facebook I’m Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, CNN, Doha, Qatar CNN, Israeli, International, ICC, International Court of Justice, BBC, Getty Images, European Union, Republican, Biden, Street, Twitter, Facebook, Global Security, Hamas, The Times Locations: New America, Qatar, Nuremberg, Gaza, Israel, Africa, United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Belgium, Ukraine, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina
The ICC does not have a 'real case,' analyst says
  + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com   time to read: 1 min
Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThe ICC does not have a 'real case,' analyst saysBanafsheh Keynoush, non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute, discusses the International Criminal Court's request for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, among others, and says it's a "symbolic gesture" from the court.
Persons: Banafsheh Keynoush, Benjamin Netanyahu Organizations: ICC, Middle East Institute
CNN —US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he wants to work with Congress on legislation to penalize the International Criminal Court after it applied for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The court’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan also issued warrants for senior Hamas officials, including its leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar. The Biden administration came out forcefully against Khan on Monday for his decision to apply for the warrants against top Israel officials on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Meanwhile, the Biden administration has faced questions about its condemnation of the ICC’s actions while saying it continues to support the court’s investigation into Russian war crimes during its invasion of Ukraine. The Trump administration previously sanctioned ICC officials by executive order in 2020 over its investigation of possible war crimes by US military and intelligence officials in Afghanistan, sanctions that the Biden administration lifted the next year.
Persons: Antony Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, , ” Blinken, Biden, Karim Khan, Yahya Sinwar, Blinken, Republican Sen, James Risch, , Sen, Lindsey Graham, Khan, Mike Johnson, ” Johnson, Lloyd Austin, Matthew Miller, “ We’ll, ” Miller, Trump Organizations: CNN, State Department, Senate Foreign Relations, Republican, ICC, Israel, American Heritage, Republicans, , White House, , Ukraine Defense Contact, . State Department Locations: Netherlands, Gaza, Israel, Ukraine, Afghanistan
The ceasefire agreement that Hamas ended up announcing on May 6 was not what the Qataris or the Americans believed had been submitted to Hamas for a potential final review, the sources said. “We were all duped,” one of those sources told CNN. More of Hamas’ demands were inserted into the original framework that Israel had tacitly agreed to in order to secure Hamas’ approval, the source said. After discovering the Egyptian freelancing, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani informed Israel’s intelligence service Mossad that Egypt had acted alone, two of the sources told CNN. The day before Hamas made their May 6 public announcement agreeing to the proposal, an Egyptian source told CNN that Egypt had received Hamas’ response and relayed it to the Israeli side.
Persons: Israel, Bill Burns, Burns, , Ahmed Abdel Khalek, Abdel Khalek, Abbas Kamel, , Abdel Kareem Hana, Antony Blinken, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Benjamin Netanyahu, , Bill Burns Bill Clark, Biden, Yahya Sinwar doesn’t, Critics of Netanyahu Organizations: CNN, Hamas, CIA, US, Biden, Military Locations: Gaza, Qatar, Israel, Egypt, Al Thani, Cairo, Washington, Rafah
Opinion | Who’s in More Trouble: Israel or Iran?
  + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Bret Stephens | ) www.nytimes.com   time to read: +1 min
An astute friend recently observed that today’s crisis in the Middle East boils down to one question about two dates: Which historic moment is likelier to be reversed: 1948 or 1979? The dates are references to the creation of the state of Israel and, 31 years later, the Iranian revolution. Recent days have brought two potential vehicles for their downfall into focus. There was, first, the announcement from Karim Khan, the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor, that he would apply for arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant of Israel. The decision is unlikely to ever lead to any arrests, much less to criminal convictions: The Biden administration has already denounced the decision, and even countries less friendly to Israel are unlikely to arrest the leader of a nation with nuclear weapons and a powerful intelligence agency.
Persons: Karim Khan, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Israel, Biden Organizations: Criminal Locations: Israel
CNN —The International Criminal Court is seeking arrest warrants for Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity over the October 7 attacks on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza, the court’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in an exclusive interview on Monday. The warrants against the Israeli politicians mark the first time the ICC has targeted the top leader of a close ally of the United States. The decision puts Netanyahu in the company of the Russian President Vladimir Putin, for who the ICC issued an arrest warrant over Moscow’s war on Ukraine. A panel of ICC judges will now consider Khan’s application for the arrest warrants. However, the ICC claims to have jurisdiction over Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank after Palestinian leaders formally agreed to be bound by the court’s founding principles in 2015.
Persons: Yahya Sinwar, Benjamin Netanyahu, Karim Khan, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Khan, Yoav Gallant, — Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al, Masri, Al, Mohammed Deif, Ismail Haniyeh, Netanyahu, Vladimir Putin, Sinwar, ” Khan, Amanpour, Gallant, , Israel “, , Israel Organizations: CNN, ICC, Israel’s, Brigades, West Bank Locations: Israel, Gaza, United States, Russian, Ukraine, East Jerusalem
Former Trump Officials Meet in Israel With Netanyahu.
  + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Jonathan Swan | ) www.nytimes.com   time to read: +1 min
One of former President Donald J. Trump’s closest foreign policy advisers, Robert O’Brien, met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Monday as part of a delegation of former Trump officials that visited a number of Israeli leaders. Mr. O’Brien, who served as national security adviser to Mr. Trump and is expected to play a significant role in any second Trump administration, was joined in the meetings by two other former Trump officials — the former ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, John Rakolta, and the former ambassador to Switzerland, Ed McMullen. The members of the delegation were described by Marshall Wittmann, a spokesman for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the pro-Israel lobbying group whose affiliate, the American Israel Education Foundation, funded and organized the trip. In a brief phone interview, Mr. O’Brien said he had wanted to visit Israel ever since the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7 to express his “solidarity for Israel and the Jewish people.”Mr. O’Brien said Mr. Trump was aware of his trip to Israel, but he said the former president had not asked him to go or directed him to say anything to Mr. Netanyahu. He said he was there as a “private citizen,” adding that he did express his view to Mr. Netanyahu that the Hamas terrorist attack would never have happened if Mr. Trump were still president.
Persons: Donald J, Trump’s, Robert O’Brien, Benjamin Netanyahu, O’Brien, Trump, John Rakolta, Ed McMullen, Marshall Wittmann, Mr, Netanyahu Organizations: Israel, Trump, United Arab, American Israel Public Affairs Committee, American Israel Education Foundation Locations: United Arab Emirates, Switzerland, Israel
CNN —Human rights attorney Amal Clooney is among a group of legal experts who advised the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor to seek arrest warrants against the top leaders of Israel and Hamas. The panel was convened by the ICC prosecutor Karim Khan and tasked to review the evidence and legal analysis underpinning his application for warrants against three Hamas leaders and two Israeli politicians, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It issued a detailed legal report on Monday, which said the panel found “reasonable grounds to believe” that the individuals named in the arrest warrants have committed war crimes or crimes against humanity. Clooney, who has represented victims of mass atrocities, faced online criticism prior to her announcement for not speaking about Israel’s siege on Gaza. In a statement shared on her Clooney Foundation for Justice website on Monday, she explained how she had found herself advising Khan.
Persons: Amal Clooney, Karim Khan, Benjamin Netanyahu, Clooney, Khan, , ” Clooney, Theodor Meron, Lord Justice Fulford, Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, Ismail Haniyeh, , ” Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Netanyahu, Biden, Joe Biden, George Clooney, ” CNN’s Ivana Kottasová Organizations: CNN, Criminal Court, ICC, Hamas, Clooney Foundation, Justice, Criminal, Lord, Palestinian, Israeli, West Bank, Doughty Street Chambers, Columbia Law School, Clooney Foundation for Justice, ISIS Locations: Israel, Gaza, Yugoslavia, United States, East Jerusalem, London, Darfur
President Biden on Monday condemned the decision by the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor to seek arrest warrants for two top Israeli officials — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant — when he issued warrants for the leaders of Hamas, saying in a White House statement that “whatever this prosecutor might imply, there is no equivalence — none — between Israel and Hamas.”Mr. Biden’s decision to stand firmly behind Mr. Netanyahu was echoed by Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, who called the move by the prosecutor, Karim Khan, “shameful” in a statement that said the United States rejected his “equivalence of Israel with Hamas.”Mr. Blinken accused Mr. Khan of going “on cable television to announce the charges” even as his staff canceled a planned visit to Israel to discuss the I.C.C.’s inquiry into Israel’s conduct of the war. “These and other circumstances call into question the legitimacy and credibility of this investigation,” he said. “It is shameful,” Mr. Blinken said of the prosecutor’s decision to issue warrants for leaders of both sides in the conflict, implying their equivalence. “Hamas is a brutal terrorist organization that carried out the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust and is still holding dozens of innocent people hostage, including Americans. This decision does nothing to help, and could jeopardize, ongoing efforts to reach a cease-fire agreement that would get hostages out and surge humanitarian assistance in.”
Persons: Biden, Court’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant —, ” Mr, Netanyahu, Antony J, Blinken, Karim Khan, Mr, Khan, Organizations: , Hamas Locations: Israel, United States
The prosecution team is also seeking warrants for Israel’s Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, along with top Hamas leaders, Khan said. Khan, the ICC prosecutor, batted down criticisms over the tribunal’s efforts to secure the warrants. News that the ICC is seeking warrants for the Israeli leaders sent reverberations of condemnation across the world. Close US allies like Britain said the court’s efforts were “not helpful” in reaching a pause in fighting. Biden administration officials also questioned whether the ICC had the jurisdiction to seek those arrests.
Persons: Washington CNN —, Biden, Karim Khan, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yahya Sinwar, Yoav Gallant, Khan, , Biden –, CNN’s Erin Burnett, cajole Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Vladimir Putin, Moammar Gadhafi, Amanpour, Gallant, Antony Blinken, United States “, Mike Johnson, John Kirby, Independent Sen, Bernie Sanders –, Biden’s –, Sanders, ” Sanders, Kirby, , Putin, ” Kirby, CNN’s Nikki Carvajal, Haley Talbot Organizations: Washington CNN, International, ICC, Israeli, Israel’s Defense, Biden, GOP, National Security, Independent, Mr Locations: Israel, Rafah, Gaza, Russian, Britain, Germany, United States, Ukraine
If approved by a panel of judges, the arrest warrants would be issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The decision to seek arrest warrants doesn’t immediately mean the individual is guilty, but is the first stage in a process that could lead to a lengthy trial. The ICC has so far issued arrest warrants against 42 people, 21 of whom have been detained with the help of member states. Signatory states are obliged to apprehend those facing arrest warrants, but leaders have often sought to evade those warrants, restricting their freedom of movement. Video Ad Feedback ICC chief details charges he is seeking against Hamas and Israeli leaders 02:04 - Source: CNNDoes the ICC have jurisdiction over Israeli nationals?
Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyah, Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al, Masri, Mohammed Deif, Netanyahu, doesn’t, , Putin, Haniyah, Omar al, Bashir, Saif Gadhafi, Moammar Gadhafi, Vladimir Putin, hasn’t, Karim Khan, , Khan, Shelly Aviv Yeini, ” Yeini, Muhammad Nazzal, Gallant, Israel Katz, Yair Lapid, Israel “, Sinwar, Itamar Ben Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich, Mike Johnson, CNN’s Jeremy Diamond, Benjamin Brown, Melanie Zanona, Aber Salman, Michael Schwartz Organizations: CNN, Criminal Court, Israeli, ICC, The Hague, International Court of Justice, United Nations, UN, Djibouti –, West Bank, Palestinian Authority, Hamas, Reuters, Foreign, National Security, Hague, Defense Ministry, Republican Locations: Israel, Gaza, Chile, South Africa, Qatar, Rome, The, Netherlands, Russian, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Comoros, Djibouti, Palestinian, East Jerusalem, Palestine, The Hague, Israeli
The International Criminal Court is seeking arrest warrants against three leaders of Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to the October 7 terror attack on Israel and the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip. The three Hamas leaders are pursued in connection with alleged crimes committed during Hamas' October 7 terror attack against Israel, including murder, the taking of hostages and sexual abuse. The ICC also asked for warrants against Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged crimes committed since October during Israel's retaliatory campaign in the Gaza Strip. The alleged crimes include the starvation of civilians, murder and persecution. Over 1,200 people have been killed in Israel since October, according to Israel's prime minister's office, while the Palestinian Health Ministry indicated over 35,000 people were killed in the Gaza Strip during that period.
Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al, Masri, Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Israel, Israel's, Karim Khan Organizations: Hamas, Israeli, ICC, Political, Netanyahu and, Palestinian Health Ministry Locations: Israel, Gaza, Rafah
The prosecutor for the International Criminal Court said he is seeking arrest warrants for the leaders of Hamas and for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. He also said he was requesting warrants for Mr. Netanyahu and for Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant. Credit... -/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesOn April 26, Mr. Netanyahu said on social media that the country “will never accept any attempt by the I.C.C. “would set a dangerous precedent that threatens the soldiers and officials of all democracies fighting savage terrorism and wanton aggression,” Mr. Netanyahu said. is the world’s only permanent international court with the power to prosecute individuals accused of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.
Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Karim Khan, Khan, Yahya Sinwar, Muhammad Deif, Ismail Haniyeh, Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Khan’s, Maya Alleruzzo, Sinwar, Deif, Haniyeh, , Gallant, , Volker Türk, Mr Organizations: International, Criminal, Mr, Hamas, Credit, United Nations, Agence France Locations: Gaza, Israel, United States, Rome, Qatar, Hague, Israel’s
Opinion | Let Justice in the Gaza War Take Its Course
  + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( David Kaye | ) www.nytimes.com   time to read: +1 min
In seeking the arrests of senior leaders of Israel and Hamas, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has given the world a promise of accountability. Anyone demanding an end to the conflict in Gaza and the release of all hostages from the grasp of Hamas should embrace the decision. The prosecutor, Karim Khan, has also brought accusations against Hamas’s Muhammad Deif and Ismail Haniyeh. Mr. Khan is charging Israel’s most senior leadership, including Mr. Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, for war crimes and crimes against humanity. While Mr. Khan recognized Israel’s “right to take action to defend its population,” he accused them of having “a common plan to use starvation as a weapon of war,” the targeting of civilians and other forms of collective punishment.
Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Hamas’s Yahya Sinwar, Karim Khan, Hamas’s Muhammad Deif, Ismail Haniyeh, Khan, Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Israel’s, Organizations: Hamas Locations: Israel, Gaza
CNN —The Israeli military has released a Hamas propaganda video it said it recovered showing a child who was held hostage by Hamas, spokesperson Daniel Hagari said on Sunday. Hagari did not say when or where Israel Defense Forces (IDF) recovered the video, which shows the since-freed child, Ela Elyakim, speaking to the camera asking to be released. The IDF released an image showing sisters Ela and Dafna Elyakim, who were previously held hostage by Hamas, in front of a flag with the Hamas logo. IDFAround 250 people were taken hostage during Hamas’ surprise October 7 attack on southern Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed, according to Israeli officials. Gantz demanded that the cabinet adopt a plan to secure the return of Israeli hostages, the demobilization of Hamas and the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip by June 8.
Persons: Daniel Hagari, Hagari, Ela Elyakim, Ela, Elyakim, Nir Oz, , ” Hagari, Noam, , Dafna Elyakim, , Benny Gantz, Benjamin Netanyahu didn’t, Gantz Organizations: CNN, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, Palestinian Ministry of Health, Nova Locations: Israel, Gaza
The International Criminal Court prosecutor, Karim Khan, said Monday that he had requested arrest warrants for the leaders of Hamas and for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in relation to the Oct. 7 attack and the war in Gaza. In a statement, Mr. Khan said he was applying for arrest warrants for Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s leader within Gaza; Muhammad Deif, Hamas’s military leader; and Ismail Haniyeh, the movement’s Qatar-based political leader. Mr. Khan also said he was requesting warrants for Mr. Netanyahu and for Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant. “Today we once again underline that international law and the laws of armed conflict apply to all,” Mr. Khan said in his statement. “No foot soldier, no commander, no civilian leader — no one — can act with impunity.”
Persons: Karim Khan, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Khan, Yahya Sinwar, Muhammad Deif, Ismail Haniyeh, Mr, Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Khan’s, ” Mr, , Organizations: Criminal, Hamas Locations: Gaza, Qatar
Amal Clooney revealed on Monday that she had reviewed the International Criminal Court prosecutor’s investigation that led to the request for arrest warrants for three Hamas leaders and two Israeli leaders, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Ms. Clooney, a prominent British lawyer, specializes in international law and human rights. She has appeared before the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, where she has represented victims of mass atrocities. For this investigation, the panel was asked to determine if the prosecutor’s applications for arrest warrants met the International Criminal Court’s standard. Specifically, the group was asked whether there were “reasonable grounds to believe” that those named in the warrant applications had committed crimes within the court’s jurisdiction, including genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Persons: Amal Clooney, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Ms, Clooney, Karim Khan Organizations: Criminal Court, International Court of Justice, International Locations: British, Israel
The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said on Monday that he had requested arrest warrants for war crimes and crimes against humanity for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and the leaders of Hamas. Here’s a closer look at the court and the warrant. Why did the International Criminal Court prosecutor request the warrants? Mr. Khan said that the Hamas officials “planned and instigated the commission of crimes” on that day, and that they “have acknowledged their responsibility for those crimes” through their actions, such as personal visits to hostages shortly after their kidnapping. Mr. Khan also said that he had requested arrest warrants for Mr. Netanyahu and Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, because he believed they bore responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the starvation of civilians as a weapon of war and “intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population.”
Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Here’s, Karim Khan, Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, Ismail Haniyeh, Khan, , Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Organizations: Hamas, Criminal Locations: Israel
Israel-Hamas War in Gaza: Latest Updates
  + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Matt Surman | ) www.nytimes.com   time to read: +3 min
The United States has repeatedly called on Israel not to launch a full-scale invasion of Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza. Credit... Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters Mr. Sullivan is expected to stress the need for a targeted approach to fighting Hamas in Gaza and to emphasize American opposition to a full-scale attack on Rafah. Mr. Sullivan traveled to Saudi Arabia on Saturday, a visit that had been slated for April originally but was delayed after the U.S. official cracked a rib. In the interim, tensions between the United States and Israel over the Rafah invasion and Israel’s conduct of the war have escalated. Mr. Sullivan is expected to try to advance the deal in his meeting with the Israeli leader.
Persons: Jake Sullivan, Benjamin Netanyahu, John Kirby, Sullivan, Netanyahu, Elizabeth Frantz, Biden, Lloyd Austin, Antony J, Blinken, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Organizations: U.S, Sunday, United, White House, Washington . Credit, Reuters, CNN, Senate, Crown Locations: United States, Israel, Rafah, Gaza, Washington ., Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Palestinian, U.S, Saudi
CNN —Divisions and disagreements within the Israeli cabinet on the conduct and priorities of the war against Hamas have simmered since the onset of the crisis. That has been a red line for the religious right in the Israeli cabinet. Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz, pictured in October, is widely seen to be a leading contender to be the next Israeli leader. Over the next three weeks, compromise may yet keep the war cabinet intact. It would, however, leave the prime minister more exposed to the demands of far-right- members of his cabinet.
Persons: , Benny Gantz, Mahmoud, Abbas, Gantz, Amir Levy, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Gantz, Itamar Ben Gvir, Yair Lapid, Netanyahu, Ben Gvir, , Jack Guez, Yoav Gallant, , “ Gantz, Anshel Pfeffer, ” Pfeffer, “ Bibi, , Pfeffer, Gallant, Leo Correa, Bezalel Smotrich Organizations: CNN, Hamas, National Unity Party, Palestinian Authority, Israel, National, Getty, Sunday, Jerusalem Post, AP, Finance Locations: Gaza, , Iran, Lebanon, Palestinian, Tel Aviv, AFP, Israel, Jerusalem
The United States has repeatedly called on Israel not to launch a full-scale invasion of Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza. Earlier this month, President Biden said in an interview with CNN that the United States would not supply weapons for a major Israeli offensive in Rafah. Hamas said its fighters had fired on Israeli troops in eastern Rafah and close to the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. In the interim, tensions between the United States and Israel over the Rafah invasion and Israel’s conduct of the war have escalated. Mr. Sullivan is expected to try to advance the deal in his meeting with the Israeli leader.
Persons: Jake Sullivan, Benjamin Netanyahu, John Kirby, Sullivan, Netanyahu, Elizabeth Frantz, Biden, Lloyd Austin, Antony J, Blinken, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Prince Mohammed, Vivian Nereim Organizations: U.S, Sunday, United, White House, Washington . Credit, Reuters, CNN, Crown, Saudi Press Agency Locations: United States, Israel, Rafah, Gaza, Washington ., Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Palestinian, U.S, Saudi
Former Israeli defense minister and war cabinet member Benny Gantz attends a meeting with the press in Ramot Naftali, Israel, on October 29. Amir Levy/Getty ImagesFormer Israeli defense minister and war cabinet member Benny Gantz is demanding that the cabinet lays out a plan for the war against Hamas by June 8. Gantz said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must choose between "victory and disaster" as he issued the ultimatum. Gantz said that to achieve peace between Israelis and Palestinians, Hamas cannot remain in Gaza and must be cleared from Rafah. He acknowledged the harmful impact the war is having on civilians but insisted that “decisiveness” is needed.
Persons: Benny Gantz, Ramot Naftali, Israel, Amir Levy, Gantz, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu Organizations: Getty Locations: Ramat Gan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Rafah, Gaza
Opinion | Invading Rafah Doesn’t Help Israel
  + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Nicholas Kristof | ) www.nytimes.com   time to read: +1 min
Now that President Biden is pressuring Israel to back away from an all-out invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah, some supporters of Israel feel betrayed. They ask: How can Israel protect itself and ensure its security if it can’t eliminate Hamas leaders hiding in tunnels under Rafah? Why sacrifice thousands of lives, Palestinian and Israeli alike, but stop short of a definitive end to the war that would lay the groundwork for rebuilding Gaza? They raise legitimate questions, but I think they misunderstand Biden’s motivations as purely humanitarian and intended simply to avert a blood bath in Rafah. It may be in Netanyahu’s interest to flatten Rafah, because anything that prolongs the war keeps him in office, but it’s not in Israel’s interest.
Persons: Biden, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, it’s Locations: Israel, Gaza, Rafah
Benny Gantz, a centrist member of Israel’s war cabinet, presented Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with an ultimatum on Saturday, saying he would leave the government if it did not soon develop a plan for the future of the war in Gaza. While Mr. Gantz’s departure would not topple the country’s emergency wartime government, the move would further strain a fragile coalition that has provided Mr. Netanyahu’s far-right government with a boost of international legitimacy, and it would make the prime minister even more reliant on his hard-line partners. “If you choose the path of zealots, dragging the country into the abyss, we will be forced to leave the government,” Mr. Gantz said in a televised news conference. “We will turn to the people and build a government that will earn the people’s trust.”Mr. Gantz, who leads the National Unity party, said he would give Mr. Netanyahu until June 8 — three weeks’ time — to develop a plan that would aim to secure the release of hostages taken to Gaza by Hamas-led militants on Oct. 7, address the future governance of the territory, return displaced Israelis to their homes and advance normalization with Saudi Arabia, among other issues.
Persons: Benny Gantz, Benjamin Netanyahu, Gantz’s, Netanyahu’s, ” Mr, Gantz, , Netanyahu Organizations: National Unity Locations: Gaza, Hamas, Saudi Arabia
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