ISRAEL’S PATH BACK TO INTERNATIONAL ACCEPTANCE
Even the Israeli opposition has responded with outrage to the ICC’s actions. Yair Lapid, a centrist who has stayed out of Netanyahu’s governing coalition, accused the court of “complete moral failure”. This instinct to rally around the flag is unsurprising – very few mainstream politicians in Israel have questioned the conduct of the country’s army in Gaza.
However, the ICC’s move has come at a time when Netanyahu is under growing pressure to step down. Benny Gantz, a leading member of the Israeli war Cabinet, said over the weekend that he would leave the government next month – unless Netanyahu came up with a new strategy for the war in Gaza and its aftermath.
Gantz, who has not been indicted, has joined in the generalised Israeli condemnation of the ICC. But many Israelis will be dismayed at the fact that their country is turning into a pariah state. Getting rid of Netanyahu and appointing a new prime minister may become a more attractive option over time, as Israel seeks to rebuild its international status.
An ICC indictment would also have severe practical implications on Netanyahu’s ability to do his job. International travel would certainly become more difficult – since he would be at risk of arrest in the 124 countries that are parties to the Rome Statute that set up the ICC. (These do not include the US, Russia or China.)
Optimists will hope that, in the long run, action by the ICC will convince Israel that its Gaza strategy is “taking Israel into a wall” – as Gantz has put it. That might persuade the next cohort of leaders to take the idea of a two-state solution with Palestine more seriously.
The Israelis now know that the path back to international acceptance must involve a new peace process – and the marginalisation of Netanyahu.
Many in Israel, including Netanyahu’s supporters and his far-right coalition partners, will continue to argue that any such move would imperil Israel’s survival. But the terms of the current debate within Israel will, at least, now widen.
