Tánaiste says Biden's criticism of ICC not appropriate

James Cox

The Tánaiste has said it is not appropriate for the US president to criticise the International Criminal Court.

It comes after Joe Biden claimed it is "outrageous" that the ICC has applied for arrest warrants for Israel's prime minister and defence minister.

Benjamin Netanyahu has also criticised the move to try and arrest him for crimes, including starvation.

Children are dying every day... there's starvation.

But Tánaiste Micheál Martin feels it’s hard to dispute.

Mr Martin said: "Children are dying every day... there's starvation. It's very hard not to come to the conclusion that the restriction of aid going into Gaza is a deliberate strategy, and that starvation has become a weapon of war."

“The ICC prosecutor’s application for arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is outrageous,” Mr Biden said in a statement on Monday.

“And let me be clear: whatever this prosecutor might imply, there is no equivalence – none – between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security.”

ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan said that he believes Mr Netanyahu; his defence minister, Yoav Gallant; and three Hamas leaders: Yehya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh; are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Israel.

Speaking of the Israeli actions, Mr Khan said in a statement that “the effects of the use of starvation as a method of warfare, together with other attacks and collective punishment against the civilian population of Gaza are acute, visible and widely known".

He added: “They include malnutrition, dehydration, profound suffering and an increasing number of deaths among the Palestinian population, including babies, other children, and women.”

Of the Hamas actions on October 7th, he said that he saw for himself “the devastating scenes of these attacks and the profound impact of the unconscionable crimes charged in the applications filed today.

“Speaking with survivors, I heard how the love within a family, the deepest bonds between a parent and a child, were contorted to inflict unfathomable pain through calculated cruelty and extreme callousness. These acts demand ability.”