ICC says Rafah assault could be a war crime
THE chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) warned Israel it could face war crimes charges if its forces push ahead with a ground invasion of Rafah.
Karim Khan, a British lawyer, said he was “deeply concerned” about the potential assault on the southern Gazan city where 1.4 million Palestinians are understood to be sheltering, and reiterated that those who commit war crimes “will be held accountable”.
International pressure was mounting yesterday against the planned attack on the last remaining enclave, with Lord Cameron urging Israel to “stop and think seriously” before taking any further action.
The Foreign Secretary said Britain was “very concerned” after Israel ordered troops on standby to close in on the city, and called again for a “sustainable ceasefire”.
Meanwhile, Volker Türk, the UN’S human right’s chief, said the prospect of a military operation where hundreds of refugees have already fled from bombs was “terrifying”.
“A potential full-fledged military incursion into Rafah, where some 1.5 million Palestinians are packed against the Egyptian border with nowhere further to flee is terrifying, given the prospect that an extremely high number of civilians, again mostly children and women, will likely be killed and injured,” he said.
Joe Biden, who has warned against launching an operation in the region without an extensive evacuation plan, is considering publicising his frustrations with Benjamin Netanyahu.
The US president is said to have referred to the Israeli leader as an “a--hole” who is impossible to work
‘If you believe that too many people are being killed, maybe you should provide less arms’
with and sees him as the main impediment to peace, according to NBC News.
Yesterday, Josep Borrell, the EU’S foreign policy chief, called on the US and allies to stop sending weapons to Israel as “too many people” are being killed.
“Well, if you believe that too many people are being killed, maybe you should provide less arms in order to prevent so many people being killed,” Mr Borrell told reporters after a meeting of EU development aid ministers in Brussels.
He pointed to a ruling by a Dutch appeals court blocking the export of F-35 fighter jets parts to the country over a “clear risk of violations of international humanitarian law” in Gaza.
Aid agencies say an assault on Rafah would be catastrophic. Egypt has reinforced its border with the city, saying it fears Gazans will be pushed across, never to return.
Israel has reportedly proposed creating 15 cities of around 25,000 tents each in Gaza as part of an evacuation plan, suggesting it plans to press ahead with its Rafah offensive.
The plan allegedly put forward by Mr Netanyahu’s government would see Egypt put in charge of setting up the camps and field hospitals with the US and its Arab partners providing the funding, officials told the Wall Street Journal.
♦ Lord Cameron yesterday condemned Donald Trump’s comments inviting Russia to invade Nato allies who do not meet defence spending targets as “not sensible”. He joined a chorus of international voices furious over the former president’s remarks.