France and Germany have both backed the recent ICC decision, as US officials threaten ‘aggressive’ sanctions against The Hague-based court
MAY 24, 2024
(Photo credit: Reuters)
Mike Johnson, Republican Speaker of the US House of Representatives, said on 23 May that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will soon address a joint meeting of the Congress.
“Tonight, I’m happy to announce … we will soon be hosting Prime Minister Netanyahu at the Capitol for a joint session of Congress,” Johnson said during a speech at an Israeli embassy event.
Johnson said during the speech that Netanyahu’s upcoming address will be “a strong show of support for the Israeli government in their time of greatest need.”
The announcement comes as officials from the administration of US President Joe Biden have made increasingly critical comments on Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza.
Despite Biden’s continued support for the Israeli war effort, Johnson is a critic of his administration’s policy toward Israel. Netanyahu’s speech at Congress is expected to draw the ire of some Democrats who have spoken out about Israel’s conduct in Gaza.
Speaking at the same event, a US Democratic Representative said, “As Americans, we reaffirm our commitment to Israel’s sovereignty.”
Both officials condemned the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan’s decision to seek arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Johnson also said on Thursday that the US “should punish the ICC and put Karim Khan back in his place. If the ICC is allowed to threaten Israel’s leaders, we know that the US will be next. There is a reason we never endorsed the ICC, because it is a direct affront to our own sovereignty.”
The decision – which also includes calls for warrants against Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammad Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh – has created an uproar in Washington, with Republican members of the US House of Representatives working on a sanctions package against the ICC.
“Congress is reviewing our options right now, we have some very aggressive legislation that were going to push as soon as possible, it will include sanctions. If the ICC moves forward with its absurd request, this is going to be a bigger international problem,” Johnson added.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on 21 May that he is willing to help Congress impose sanctions against ICC officials over their request for arrest warrants against the Israeli officials.
EU leaders have taken a more balanced approach towards the ICC decision.
Germany said on Wednesday that if the ICC goes ahead and issues the warrants, it would arrest the Israeli premier if he set foot on German soil.
France said earlier that week that it backs the ICC in the “fight against impunity.”
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Netanyahu: Poland born, jewish Name Benzion Mileikowsky
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Israel Just Announced They Attacked The Helicopter Of Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi Who Died!
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Hezbollah hits back after Israeli strike injures children in south Lebanon
The Israeli airstrike also killed a Hezbollah fighter, who was also a schoolteacher, while he was on his way to oversee exams
MAY 23, 2024 – The Cradle
(Photo credit: AFP via Getty Images)
Hezbollah launched dozens of rockets and missiles at an Israeli military site on 23 April, hours after Israel’s assassination of one of the resistance group’s members in a strike that injured several children in the south of Lebanon.
“In response to the assassination carried out by the Zionist enemy in Kfar Dajjal and the injury and terrorization of children, the Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance bombed on Thursday 05-23-2024 the headquarters of the Sahel Battalion of the 769th Brigade at the Beit Hillal base, with dozens of Katyusha and Falaq rockets [and missiles],” Hezbollah said in a statement.
The group announced several other attacks on Israeli sites earlier that day, including an operation targeting spy equipment at the Al-Raheb site and the Metulla site.
Hezbollah announced on Thursday morning the killing of its fighter, Muhammad Ali Nasser Farran, in a strike on the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Dajjal.
Farran was also a school teacher and was killed while on his way to work early on 23 April. The strike injured children in a nearby school bus after its windows were shattered due to the Israeli attack.
“The hostile [Israeli] aggression carried out by a done in the morning, on the Kfar Dajjal-Nabatiyeh road, led to … the injury of three students who were inside a school bus heading to their school at the time of the attack,” Lebanon’s National News Agency reported.
The attack came a day after the anniversary of Israel’s withdrawal from several Lebanese villages in the south, including Mays al-Jabal, Odaisseh, and others. The day of 25 May marks the complete liberation of south Lebanon from 18 years of Israeli occupation.
Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah is set to speak on the anniversary of Liberation Day.
Hezbollah has attacked Israeli military sites daily since 8 October in solidarity with Gaza and in support of the Palestinian resistance. It has vowed to continue doing so until the war in Gaza is brought to an end.
The resistance group has stepped up its operations recently, increasing its use of drone warfare and sophisticated, intelligence-based operations.
Hezbollah launched the first-ever Lebanese airstrike on an Israeli target on 17 May, using a never-before-seen drone for the operation.
BIG BROTHER in the 21. Century 