G7 ministers throw support behind Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire but make no mention of ICC warrant

[November 27, 2024]  By NICOLE WINFIELD

FIUGGI, Italy (AP) — Foreign ministers from leading industrialized countries threw their strong support Tuesday behind an immediate ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah but sidestepped the question of whether to enforce an international arrest warrant for Israel’s leader over the war in Gaza.

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.

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 defense 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 Israel’s war with Hamas 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 and the right-wing government of Premier Giorgia Meloni, a strong supporter of Israel, said they were politically motivated.

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 must uphold its international humanitarian obligations. 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.”

Pressed on whether Italy would arrest Netanyahu if he stepped foot on Italian soil, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he believed the warrants were “unenforceable” since Netanyahu is a sitting head of a government that isn’t a member of the court. When asked if that same logic applies to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is also the subject of an ICC warrant, Tajani said the situations were different.

“You have to be very pragmatic because when something in theory isn’t applicable, it runs the risk of being just a political message.”

The G7 meeting of foreign ministers, the last of the Biden administration, was dominated by the wars in Gaza and Lebanon. Ministers were heartened by indications that a ceasefire might soon be announced between Israel and Hezbollah.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a deal would also improve prospects for a ceasefire in Gaza.

“Because one of the things that Hamas has sought from Day One is to get others in on the fight to create multiple fronts, to make sure that Israel is having to fight in a whole series of different places,” he said. “And as long as it’s thought that that was possible, that’s one of the reasons it’s held back from doing what’s necessary to end the conflict. Now, it seems that the cavalry is not on the way. That may incentivize it to do what it needs to do to end this conflict.”

The G7 ministers were joined by the foreign ministers of the “Arab Quintet” — Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

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 U.S.-French-brokered deal.

Borrell said under the proposed agreement, the U.S. would chair a ceasefire implementation committee, with France participating at Lebanon’s request. The outgoing EU foreign policy chief also 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, he warned that if a ceasefire is not implemented, “Lebanon will fall apart.”

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, front, arrives to pose for a family photo with, from left, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, Canada's Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Britain's Foreign Office Political Director Christian Turner at the G7 of foreign Ministers in Fiuggi, some 70 kilometers south-east of Rome, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, Pool)

Following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack in Israel, months of fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah have erupted into a full-blown war in recent months, with Israel killing Hezbollah’s main leaders and sending ground forces into southern Lebanon.

Israeli bombardment has killed more than 3,500 people in Lebanon and wounded more than 15,000, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. On the Israeli side, about 90 soldiers and nearly 50 civilians have been killed by rockets, drones and missiles in northern Israel and in the fighting on the ground in Lebanon.

Borrell, whose term ends Dec. 1, also said he proposed to the G7 and Arab ministers that the U.N. Security Council take up a resolution specifically demanding humanitarian assistance reach Palestinians in Gaza, saying deliveries there have been completely impeded.

While the G7 meeting was dominated Monday by the Mideast conflicts, attention turned Tuesday to Ukraine. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha briefed the ministers on Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

In their final statement, the ministers condemned Russia’s use of North Korean troops in Ukraine and its “irresponsible and threatening nuclear rhetoric.”

The G7 has been at the forefront of providing military and economic support for Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, and G7 members are concerned about how the incoming Trump administration will change the U.S. approach.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has criticized the billions of dollars that the Biden administration has poured into Ukraine and has said he could end the war in 24 hours — comments that appear to suggest he would press Ukraine to surrender territory that Russia now occupies.

Tensions have heightened since Russia attacked Ukraine last week with an experimental, hypersonic ballistic missile. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the strike was retaliation for Kyiv’s use of U.S. and British longer-range missiles capable of striking deeper into Russian territory.

The final G7 communique vowed the group’s continued commitment to Ukraine. “Our support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence will remain unwavering,” the ministers said.

Blinken, at his final G7 before the Biden administration leaves office, said he was certain Europe would continue its assistance to Ukraine and that he would do his best in the remaining weeks to do Washington’s part.

“What we’re determined to do in the remainder of this administration is to do everything possible to ensure that Ukraine has what it needs to be able ... to fight through 2025 if necessary, or if there’s a negotiation, be able to negotiate from a position of strength,” he said.

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AP visual journalist Paolo Santalucia contributed to this report.

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