Former Israeli Prime Minister ‘Withdrawal of troops due to failure of Hamas war’ ICJ orders ‘Stop attack on Rafah and open borders’
Ahead of the International Court of Justice's decision to suspend the attack on Gaza, Israel's former prime minister announced on the 20th that the war to destroy Hamas had failed and that he had signed an agreement to withdraw troops from Gaza and repatriate hostages, and three European countries jointly recognized the independent state of Palestine on the 22nd. announced.
Israeli troops fought deep into Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on the 22nd, expanding their offensive into the city and driving out more Palestinian civilians.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (78) said in an exclusive Yomiuri interview in Tel Aviv on the 20th, “Prime Minister Netanyahu cannot achieve his goal of destroying the Islamist group Hamas,” and that the task that must be resolved immediately is “Hamas and the repatriation of the hostages.” “The goal is to conclude an agreement for this,” he said.
Prime Minister Olmert is of the same generation as Prime Minister Netanyahu, who leads the right-wing Likud Party, and is a political rival. He criticized Hamas' surprise attack last October and said it was "the result of extremists (such as Hamas) growing in power without making any progress in peace talks for a long time" since Netanyahu became prime minister for the second time in 2009.
He declared that the outcome of the fighting in the Palestinian territory of Gaza today was "very poor" and that the presence of international troops in Gaza could allow Israeli forces to withdraw from the Strip and reach an agreement on hostage repatriation and hostage negotiations. The military withdrawal exchange method was formalized.
On ending the war, he said, "If we decide to withdraw from Gaza, the war will end." After Netanyahu became prime minister for the second time in 2009, he said, "For a long time, there was no progress in peace talks and the extremists (such as Hamas) He claimed responsibility for last year's Hamas attack "as a result of the group's growing power."
He said Prime Minister Netanyahu had “left the moderates (in the autonomous government) with nothing to offer (to the people) without negotiation,” adding, “Israel is a strong state and I do not believe its survival is threatened.” said.
Three European countries, Spain, Norway, and Ireland, jointly announced recognition of the independent state of Palestine on the 22nd, and Reuters reported that the three European countries' closely coordinated announcement of recognition of the independent state of Palestine despite Israel's fierce opposition acted as a rebuke to Israel. .
On the 24th, the International Court of Justice announced a ruling on South Africa's petition to immediately stop the ground attack in Rafah, and the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) had previously sentenced the Israeli prime minister, defense minister, and three Hamas leaders. An arrest warrant was requested on charges of crimes against humanity.
U.S. President Biden's National Security Advisor Sullivan returned from a visit to Israel on the 18th of last week and told reporters on the 23rd that "up until that point, the U.S. administration's red line had not been crossed."
"The main concern we have is large-scale operations in dense urban areas, and that's something we'll continue to look at," Sullivan told reporters. "That's not what we've seen so far," he said. explained.
Former Prime Minister Olmert said in an interview that the fate of the Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip being pursued by Netanyahu's Israeli forces "has nothing to do with the stability of the entire Middle East or Israel's security," and added, "The situation must be viewed in the big picture. “The post-war administration of Gaza must be under Palestinian rule,” he said.
Regarding Hamas' rule, he said, "It is desirable for Palestine to be governed together with moderate Arab countries such as Egypt and Jordan."
Regarding 'peace with Palestine', he said, "Without a peace agreement, Israel's survival will ultimately be threatened," and as a solution, "a two-state solution may not be ideal, but I do not think there is any other option," and "recognition of the state of Palestine." It was said to be a two-state system.
Former Prime Minister Olmert called for "immediate regime change" against the Netanyahu government, which is waging war with a far-right coalition, calling it "unrealistic and unacceptable to the international community."
Ehud Olmert, born in 1945, is a lawyer. He was elected as a Knesset member of the Likud Party at the age of 28. After serving as mayor of Jerusalem and deputy prime minister, he served as prime minister from 2006 to 2009. During the Second Lebanon War in 2006 and the Gaza Strip in 2008 and 2009, he served as prime minister. led the invasion.
The White House has maintained its policy of refusing to recognize the Palestinian state, and NSC spokeswoman Adrienne Watson previously said that President Biden "believes that the state of Palestine should be realized through direct negotiations between the parties."
Three European countries, which opposed the U.S. announcement, officially announced recognition of the state of Palestine on the 22nd, formalizing the view that Palestinian sovereignty cannot wait for a permanent peace agreement with Israel, whose right-wing government is largely opposed to a Palestinian state.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Garstore said at a press conference in Oslo that recognition of the independent state would take effect on the 21st, saying, "Palestinians have a fundamental and independent right to establish an independent state."
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Spain's decision would take effect on the same day as Norway's, and said in a speech to parliament that "Spain had no choice but to act because Prime Minister Netanyahu did not have a plan for long-term peace with Palestine."
In a speech to parliament, Prime Minister Sánchez said of the two-state policy of an independent Palestinian state along with Israel, saying, “The two-state solution is in danger. It is time to move from words to action. We must protect the millions of innocent Palestinians who are suffering.” “It’s time to tell them we are with them and there is hope,” he said.
Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said at a press conference that day, “I am confident that other countries will soon join in recognizing the state of Palestine.”
Recognition of the Palestinian state was initiated by Iran in 1988 and has now been recognized by 147 countries, the Vatican (2015), Sweden (2014), and North Korea (1988), but not the United States and most Western European countries.
The U.S. policy is a system of recognition through negotiations between Israel and Palestine, and in support of the two-state solution, the method has been controlled as unilateral measures by a third party “will not advance the goal.”
The ICJ is a judicial body under the United Nations, and the International Criminal Court (ICC) was established in 2002 based on the ‘Rome Statute of the ICC.’
The ICC is subject to trial and punishment of individuals suspected of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, while the ICJ deals with disputes between states.