From the Liveblog of
Thursday, November 21, 2024
White House says US will not execute arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
Karine Jean-Pierre says the US will not execute arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Jean-Pierre calls the ICC move a “flawed process,” and explains why the US has rejected its efforts.
“In contrast to how [Chief ICC Prosecutor Karim Kahn] has treated others, including [probed Venezuelan President] Nicolas Maduro and his associates, the prosecutor failed to provide Israel with a meaningful opportunity to engage constructively and to properly consider its domestic processes,” she says.
“This calls into question the credibility of the prosecutor and his investigation,” she adds.
Separately asked to explain the administration’s decision to lobby Democrats against progressive legislation to withhold weapons from Israel, Jean-Pierre says the resolutions voted down yesterday would have been counterproductive to US efforts to secure ceasefires in Lebanon and Gaza.
“We have strong reason to believe that terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah want to see Israel in a position of weakness, and we don’t want to see that happen,” she adds.
