Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2025-12-05 at 22:06 cover art

Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2025-12-05 at 22:06

Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2025-12-05 at 22:06

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 HEADLINESICC Mulls In-Absentia Hearings On Netanyahu PutinLebanon Seeks Follow-Up UNIFIL Force After 2026Times Square Antisemitism Case Two-Year SentenceThe time is now 5:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.The International Criminal Court’s acting chief prosecutor said it would be conceivable to hold an in-absentia hearing against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or Russian President Vladimir Putin, a development that could affect how wartime cases are pursued on the world’s only permanent tribunal. Mame Mandiaye Niang told AFP that such a procedure would not be a trial, but a formal verification of charges intended to preserve evidence and give voice to victims. He noted that any request would require the agreement of the court’s judges and stressed that the hearing would be a non-trial step, aimed at maintaining momentum in cases the court has already sought to bring to account. The ICC’s warrants for Netanyahu and for former defense minister Yoav Gallant were issued in late 2024 over concerns arising from Israel’s Gaza war, a conflict Jerusalem says is being waged in defense of its citizens and in pursuit of hostages’ return, and conducted in accordance with international law. Putin and Netanyahu remain at large, and the court has no police force of its own, relying on states to execute arrest warrants, which has made any enforcement highly uncertain.Niang also used the moment to criticize US sanctions on ICC officials, saying they effectively put top court figures on a par with terrorists or drug traffickers. He described how the measures impeded ordinary life—blocking a credit card needed to charge a hybrid car, for instance—and said such actions risk de-legitimizing the court even as it pursues high-profile cases. The deputy prosecutor’s remarks come amid ongoing internal tensions at the ICC, including an inquiry into sexual misconduct allegations against Karim Khan, the court’s sitting prosecutor, who denies the accusations. Niang said the allegations have “disturbed” and “poisoned” the atmosphere at the court, though he maintained that the ICC must continue its work. He argued that the court remains essential at a moment when mass crimes are committed around the world, and he cited notable cases this year, including the arrest of a former Philippine president and the conviction of a Sudanese militia chief, as evidence of the court’s reach beyond Africa.Israel’s government has argued that the ICC’s actions in the Palestine case are misplaced and politically motivated, insisting that its Gaza campaign has been conducted in accordance with international law and with the objective of destroying Hamas’s capabilities and rescuing hostages. In Jerusalem’s view, the warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant are baseless attempts to sideline legitimate security operations. The broader debate inside the ICC, Niang suggested, reflects global tensions over how accountability for wartime actions is pursued and what role the court should play when political realities complicate cooperation with powerful states.Separately, in the Middle East, Lebanon’s prime minister told a visiting United Nations delegation that Lebanon would likely need a follow-up force in southern Lebanon once UNIFIL’s term ends at the close of 2026. Nawaf Salam said a residual presence could help Lebanese troops along the border with Israel and fill what officials see as a security vacuum after decades of multinational monitoring. The Security Council’s August decision to end UNIFIL’s mandate has drawn scrutiny from Israel, which has long argued that the mission did not curb Hezbollah’s buildup near the border. Israel conducted a series of airstrikes in southern Lebanon in recent days, warning residents to evacuate affected areas as it targeted Hezbollah infrastructure. Hezbollah’s leadership condemned the appointment of a former ambassador to heads-up the committee that monitors the ceasefire, but Lebanese and regional officials stressed the need for continued stability along the frontier amid a volatile security environment.In New York, a domestic case of antisemitism drew attention to the ongoing threat to Jewish communities. Salem Seleiman was sentenced to two years in prison for a 2021 assault on Joey Borgen, a Jewish man with a kippah who was assaulted during an anti-Israel demonstration in Times Square. Prosecutors described the attack as hate-motivated and noted that several other participants in the incident had already been prosecuted. The sentence underscored the continuing challenge of bias-motivated violence in major cities and the importance of robust enforcement of hate-crimes laws to protect Jewish communities and other minority groups.Taken together, these developments highlight a moment of pressure and recalibration in international justice and regional security. The ICC faces questions about the feasibility and ...
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