Today we have a new scandal to use to grab the headlines. The chief prosecutor of the ICC (International Criminal Court) is asking for warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant. He is also seeking to indict 3 Hamas leaders Ismail Haniya, Yihyah Sinwar, and Mohammed Dief, for violating international law starting on 7 October. The outrage expressed in part of the world is at least partly due the apparent attempt at moral equivalence shown by putting the Israeli leaders in the same status as the Hamas terrorists.
The warrants now go to a panel of 3 judges who must decide whether or not to actually issue the warrants. A warrant was issued for Vladimir Putin over the Ukraine invasion. Russia is not a supporter of the ICC (nor are Israel, China, the US and almost the entire Arab world) and Putin has avoided going to any country that is a supporter since the warrant was issued. Even supporting countries may decide not to act on a warrant (if it is actually issued) for a variety of reasons.
The problem comes from linking Israel and Hamas. The media are not bound by the same legal constraints and most report on the request as single story. One of the justifications for requesting the warrants for the Israeli leaders is using starvation as a weapon. That claim is factually untrue but has not prevented it from appearing in the media (and the primary source for those stories is invariably Hamas controlled media or the Gaza Ministry of Health).
The US has been following a similar political trial (without real merit, but it attracts viewers) in New York. This appears to be the same sort of game, but being played in a different venue.
Wetherhorn 