Israel Weekly News Roundup - Nov 22nd, 2024
Five things that happened this week
Israel at War - Day 413
1. International Criminal Court Issued Arrest Warrants for PM Netanyahu and Former Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant
The ICC issued the arrest warrants based on suspicion of crimes against humanity, by intentionally targeting civilians, depriving them of food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity. The case against Israel has been in progress at the ICC for months. Israel is not a member of the ICC. The US also is not a signatory to the convention that established the court. Even so, Israel decided to submit its case to the court, but all of Israel’s arguments were rejected by the court. The meaning of the decision is that every country that signed the convention, and is party to the ICC, a total of 124 worldwide, are committed to execute the warrant and arrest PM Netanyahu or Gallant if they set foot on their soil and extradite them to the ICC. It may also apply to their airspace if either of the two is on a flight that crosses a signatory country. All Israeli politicians issued a statement in which they rejected the ICC ruling.
Israel could submit an appeal to the courts ruling, or establish investigative committees that will deal with cases that are suspected of violating international law.
PM Netanyahu made a statement where he accused the ICC of antisemitism and an attempt to put pressure on Israeli leaders.
2. Will PM Netanyahu Fire the Head of Shin Bet and State Attorney General?
Voices by ministers calling for and demanding the firing of the state attorney general intensified. They categorized Gali Baharav-Miara as an enemy of the state. They described her as the one that stops them from ruling as they are entitled to. She is framed as the only functionary that places barriers in their path so they are not able to execute their ideological plans.
These demands correspond with PM Netanyahu’s government plan for a judicial overhaul that was presented to the Israeli public shortly after this government took office at the beginning of 2023. At the center of this plan is the wish to eliminate the status of all state legal advisers as the functionaries with the authority to interpret the law with a valid binding opinion. They want to have the authority to rule without any limitations or restrictions, and she stands between the rule of law and their desires.
In addition, there are some indications that PM Netanyahu wishes to fire the head of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar. The reason, as reported in Haaretz, is that the Shin Bet doesn’t’ sufficiently protect PM Netanyahu and his family. Netanyahu has to take the stand and testify at his corruption trial on December 2nd. He is doing all he can to postpone his testimony. He applied to delay the testimony which was rejected by the court. He then tried to claim that the court is not a secure venue and that it is dangerous in times of war for the PM to be present in a courtroom every day. That was not supported by any security services opinion. It was reported that PM Netanyahu was furious that Bar did not support him, and subsequently, there are indications that he wants to fire Ronen Bar. It is important to mention in this context that the head of the Shin Bet has already taken responsibility for his role in the neglect leading to October 7th, 2023. If he is fired or resigns, PM Netanyahu will be able to nominate someone who will be loyal to him, and not to the rule of law and the state of Israel.
3. PM Netanyahu and Newly Appointed Defense Minister, Israel Katz, Visited Gaza
PM Netanyahu and Defense Minister Katz visited one of the corridors in the Gaza Strip that were taken by the Israeli army as a mechanism to divide the area into smaller pieces of land, consolidate the IDF ability to control the population, but mainly to look for Hamas militants and combatants. This is part of the greater plan to eliminate Hamas and its ability to regain power. This corridor is used to move convoys of trucks that carry humanitarian aid including food, clean water, and medical supplies. Unfortunately, the desperately needed aid is not reaching the intended recipients on the ground. It is confiscated by Hamas, who use it mainly to support its people and then sell it for inflated prices to the Palestinian population. The Biden administration is pushing Israel to find a solution for the delivery of humanitarian aid. PM Netanyahu has declared time and again that he will not tolerate any rule of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, nor will he agree to the involvement of the Palestinian Authority, but Israel has not said who can take control of distributing the food and medical supplies to the people who need it.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration has conditioned continued ammunition supplies to Israel on solving the issue of delivering humanitarian aid.
While in Gaza, PM Netanyahu declared that Israel is willing to pay up to $5 million and safe passage to anyone in Gaza who currently holds Israeli hostages and delivers them. 101 hostages, alive and dead, are still being held in Gaza.
4. Four People Arrested for Firing Fireworks Near the Private Resident of PM Netanyahu
Four people, who are part of the ongoing demonstrations against the government, calling for PM Netanyahu to take responsibility for the neglect leading to October 7, were arrested last Saturday night. One of them is a retired army general. They were protesting in Caesarea, near the private residence of PM Netanyahu. Weekly, and sometimes more frequent demonstrations are held there. Last Saturday, while the Netanyahus were not present at their home, the four fired two flash bombs towards the house. The kind that is used by the Navy. None of the exploding objects was close to the house. The perpetrators were found hiding nearby and were arrested. It seems that the fireworks did not endanger the family, who were not at the house, nor did they endanger the property. Nonetheless, the Shin Bet and police frame this as a serious event. Their opinions are supported by right-wing Netanyahu supporters who time and again try to portray legitimate protests against PM Netanyahu and his government as dangerous, saying that the PM’s life is threatened. The incident happened in the middle of a very polarizing debate, that was intensified by the war and the attempts to push for a judicial overhaul that will weaken the judicial/legislative gatekeepers.
5. “Bibileaks” Stories Continue to Unfold
The media released new information from the investigations into two different cases connected to the PM’s Office. The first concerns leaking a classified intelligence document to foreign media in an attempt to influence Israeli public opinion against a hostage deal. The second concerns alleged attempts by the PM's chief of staff to forge records and minutes of PM Netanyahu’s meeting with his former military secretary on the morning of the Hamas attack on October 7th.
The primary suspect in the “Bibileaks” case was placed under suicide watch and indicted this week for leaking classified documents that undermined the war effort and reduced the chances of a hostage deal. However, two additional close associates of PM Netanyahu were questioned regarding their involvement in brokering the publication of a story in Bild, a German news site, based on parts of the classified document obtained by Israeli army intelligence after October 7th.
In the second case, the media reported that the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff was questioned for several hours under suspicion of altering entries in the PM’s phone communications and forging stenographic minutes of PMO meetings, to misrepresent the time at which PM Netanyahu instructed his former military secretary to call a situational assessment meeting on the morning of October 7th.
