While it may seem Donald Trump is currently deciding the course of the next 4 years with his new government appointments, it is important to keep an eye on new developments in the EU and in the Israel-Gaza war.
ICC arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant, Deif
The ICC on November 21st issued 3 warrants of arrest in relation to the current Israel-Gaza war. These are for prime minister of Israel Netanyahu, former Israeli defense minister Gallant, and the highest commander of the military wing of Hamas, Mohammed Al-Masri, also known as ‘Deif’. All three warrants are tied to the case ‘Situation in the State of Palestine’, which is currently in the pre-trial stage. The fact that arrest warrants have been issued does however not mean that the men are guilty. Arrest warrants at the ICC are issued when there is reasonable ground to think someone is guilty of a crime in the Rome Statute.
The Israeli men are suspected of bearing responsibility for ‘the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts; as well as the the war crime of intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population’, while the Hamas commander is under investigation for ‘the crimes against humanity of murder; extermination; torture; and rape and other form of sexual violence; as well as the war crimes of murder, cruel treatment, torture, taking hostages; outrages upon personal dignity; and rape and other form of sexual violence’. The crimes under investigation have all allegedly occurred since the attack on Israel on October 7th 2023, and during the consequent war between Israel and Gaza.
Israel has rejected the arrest warrants from the start and like the US, Russia and China, among others, is not a member of the Rome Statute. This means the ICC bases its jurisdiction not on crimes committed in Israel, but in the Palestinian Territories, who are members of the Rome Statute. The US also rejects the warrants, deeming them ‘procedural faults’, which Hungary and Argentina echoed. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Borrell has reaffirmed the need to comply with the ICC, reaffirming that it is a non-political organization. The Netherlands has stated that Netanyahu, were he to visit the Netherlands, would be arrested in compliance with obligations under the Rome Statute. France, Jordan, Norway, Ireland, and South Africa have all expressed similar opinions.
New European Commission confirmed
The new European Commission, with 26 European Commissioners headed by Ursula von der Leyen, has found the necessary political support to be inaugurated on December 1st. The European Socialists, the right-wing European People’s Party (EPP), and the centre party Renew together have a majority of 56% in the European Parliament. This comes after weeks of Commissioner hearings in the Parliament, which did not go entirely smoothly. Three Commissioners-to-be were caught in the crossfire during the squabbles between parties. These were Teresa Ribera, Raffaele Fitto and Olivér Várhelyi.
Teresa Ribera, Spanish, who is to become the Commissioner for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, was attacked by the EPP who attempted to put the blame on her for the floods in Valencia, Spain. This was a result of the political conflict in Spain following the flooding between her Socialist party and the Spanish People’s Party who are part of the EPP.
The choice of Raffaele Fitto as Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms was delayed due to the Socialists disagreeing with his hardliner policies as a member of Meloni’s right-wing ‘Brothers of Italy’ party. Similarly, Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare Olivér Várhelyi was controversial due to his ties to Orban’s Fidesz party. In the end, a compromise between the left-wing and right-wing was reached, allowing all three to keep their proposed functions.
For those interested, the complete list of Commissioners is available here.
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