World leaders publicly back Israel amid Anthony Albanese’s refusal to condemn ICC
While our prime minister refused to comment on the ICC’s bid to arrest Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu, half a dozen other world leaders were quick to condemn the move.
National
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Anthony Albanese is becoming increasingly isolated by his failure to comment on the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for Israeli president Benjamin Netanyahu.
Mr Albanese was roundly criticised for failing to repudiate the ICC, declaring “I don’t comment on court processes in Australia, let alone court processes globally which Australia is not a party,” on Tuesday.
But Britain, Canada, Italy, Austria and the Czech Republic swiftly joined US President Joe Biden in attacks on the court prosecutor’s move to request arrest warrants for Mr Netanyahu alongside senior Hamas leaders.
United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesman said the ICC’s decision “is not helpful in relation to reaching a pause in the fighting, getting hostages out or getting humanitarian aid in”.
“The UK, as with other countries, does not yet recognise Palestine as a state and Israel is not a state party to the Rome Statute”, which outlines the ICC’s areas of jurisdiction, the spokesman said.
The nations took issue with the ICC’s decision to request warrants for both parties simultaneously, with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer calling the move to arrest Mr Netanyahu alongside Hamas representatives “non-comprehensible”.
“The fact however that the leader of the terrorist organisation Hamas whose declared goal is the extinction of the State of Israel is being mentioned at the same time as the democratically elected representatives of that very State is non-comprehensible,” he said.
Czech Republic Prime Minister Petr Fiala labelled the move “appalling and completely unacceptable.”
“We must not forget that it was Hamas that attacked Israel in October and killed, injured and kidnapped thousands of innocent people,” he said.” It was this completely unprovoked terrorist attack that led to the current war in Gaza and the suffering of civilians in Gaza, Israel and Lebanon.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the move “troubling”.
“What I will say is troubling, though, is the sense of an equivalency between the democratically elected leaders of Israel and the bloodthirsty terrorists that lead up Hamas. I don’t think that’s helpful,” he said at a press conference.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told local TV channel he opposed equating the actions of Hamas on October 7 to the response of the military of a democratically elected government, and that an ICC warrant could “fuel anti-Semitism.”
Mr Albanese’s refusal to condemn the ICC saw criticism erupt, with Opposition leader Peter Dutton accusing the PM of “squibbing it” while Jewish leaders urged him to publicly support Australia’s key ally.
While other world leaders have yet to publicly weigh in on the issue, including Australian allies Japan and India, France backed the ICC decision in shock move from its western allies, while Ireland, Norway and Spain said they would formally recognise the State of Palestine.
Israel said immediately that it was recalling its envoys to Dublin, Oslo and Madrid for “urgent consultations” and also summoned the three European ambassadors for a rebuke.
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