by Tyler Rosen
Since the genocidal incursion by the Israeli military into the Gaza strip began in response to the Hamas’ kidnapping of Israeli citizens of October 7th, the world has been witness to inhuman atrocities and collective punishment against the civilian residents (including children) of Gaza. Such horrors directed by the Netanyahu regime include bombing of hospitals, cutting off of vital necessities (water, food, and electricity access) to civilians, and wholesale destruction of cities and residential areas. Two days after the attack by Hamas, Yoav Gallant declared, “I ordered a full siege on the Gaza Strip. No power, no food, no gas, everything is closed. We are fighting human animals [our emphasis] and we act accordingly.”
On Thursday, November 21, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued warrants for arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Secretary Yoav Gallant. The ICC has stated:
The Chamber found reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Netanyahu, born on 21 October 1949, Prime Minister of Israel at the time of the relevant conduct, and Mr Gallant, born on 8 November 1958, Minister of Defence of Israel at the time of the alleged conduct, each bear criminal responsibility for the following crimes as co-perpetrators for committing the acts jointly with others: the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.
The Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash), which has been at the forefront of the movement to bring Netanyahu to justice for his attacks on democracy in Israel, his corruption charges, and his crimes against humanity towards the Palestinian people since early 2023, has come out in support of the ICC warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant. Heroic Hadash Member of Knesset (MK) Ofer Cassif has been working within the Knesset to fight for the preservation of democracy. He has been wrongly suspended from the Knesset for six months for calling out the genocide in Gaza. Following the ICC decision, MK Cassif stated:
“The truth cannot be hidden forever, even if the opposition pathetically joins forces with the criminal government and uses the worn-out and deceptive slogan: ‘anti-Semitism.’ No! It is not! It is a right and a decent call for justice. No one should be above international law and humane justice.”
It appears that Benjamin Netanyahu is starting to realize that his days as prime minister are numbered and that he will face justice. In a statement Netanyahu frantically declared:
This is an anti-Semitic act that has one goal: to deter me, to deter us, from exercising our natural right to defend ourselves against our enemies who rise up against us to destroy us.
The UJPFO stands with Hadash and all the progressive forces, holding Netanyahu to international law for his war crimes. The path to peace in the Middle East is to defeat Netanyahu and his right-wing coalition so the creation of an independent State of Palestine neighboring a democratic Israel can be realized.