In their final communique, the Group of Seven ministers demanded Israel “facilitate full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian assistance in all its forms” to Palestinians in Gaza, warning that its yearlong assault had led to unprecedented food insecurity, AP reported.
But they didn’t refer explicitly to the Hague-based International Criminal Court and its arrest warrants on charges of crimes against humanity for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former war minister, Yoav Gallant.
The warrants said there was reason to believe Netanyahu and Gallant have used “starvation as a method of warfare” by restricting humanitarian aid and have intentionally targeted Palestinian civilians in Gaza — charges Israeli officials deny.
Italy had put the ICC warrants on the official G7 meeting agenda, even though members were split on the issue. The U.S., Israel's closest ally, isn't a member of the court and has called the warrants "outrageous." All the other G7 countries are signatories and are obliged to respect and implement the court's decisions.
The final statement adopted by the ministers said Israel, in exercising its right to defend itself, "must fully comply with its obligations under international law in all circumstances, including international humanitarian law."
And it said all G7 members — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States — "reiterate our commitment to international humanitarian law and will comply with our respective obligations."
The EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said Tuesday there were "no excuses" for Israel to refuse to accept a ceasefire, saying all its security concerns had been addressed in the US-French-brokered deal.
Borrell said under the proposed agreement, the US would chair a ceasefire implementation committee, with France participating at Lebanon's request.
Borrell, the outgoing EU foreign policy chief, called for increased pressure on Israel to not give into extremists in the government who were refusing to accept the deal. Speaking on the sidelines of the G7 meeting, Borrell warned that if a ceasefire is not implemented, "Lebanon will fall apart."
SD/