December 3, 2024

Akahata editorial (excerpts)

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on November 21 issued arrest warrants against Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Gallant, together with the Hamas military commander on charges of alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in relation to the Gaza conflict triggered by the Hamas-led attacks in Israel.

Since October 2023, at least 45,000 Palestine civilians, mainly women and children, have been killed in the ongoing Israeli campaign of genocide and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. The ICC issued the arrest warrants with the aim of putting an end to the situation where those responsible for violent crimes such as the ongoing genocide by Israel can go unpunished, contributing to crime prevention. The international community should use the issuance of the ICC warrants as leverage to realize an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

As the leader of Japan, the top financial contributor among ICC member states, Prime Minister Ishiba should fulfil Japan’s duty and cooperate in enforcing the ICC arrest warrants. The Japanese government at the UN General Assembly in September voted for a resolution demanding that Israel stop occupying the Palestinian territory and end its ongoing campaign of genocide against Palestinians. The resolution, among other things, urged member States to take measures, including sanctions, to keep their nationals, companies, and entities from engaging in activities that support Israel’s slaughter and occupation.

Furthermore, Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya in his statement in October called for all measures to be taken to prevent civilian casualties.

If this is the case, in order to stop Israel’s outrages, it is urgently necessary to concretize the UNGA resolution. Japan should cancel the plan to introduce Israeli-made drones by the Defense Ministry, and push the United States, the biggest provider of military aid to Israel, to discontinue supporting Israel’s genocide.