Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has urged the federal Labor government to condemn an International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor after he applied for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
At the same time, he criticised Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for failing to stand up against the prosecutor’s assertions.
Mr. Khan said his office had collected and examined sufficient evidence to proceed with the prosecution of the three individuals.
Mr. Khan’s application for ICC arrest warrants initiates a decision-making process with a three-judge panel.
It is expected that a pre-trial panel will take around two months to consider the evidence and determine whether the proceedings can move forward.
“The ICC prosecutor’s application for arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is outrageous,” he said in a statement.
The U.S. president also rejected any sense of equivalence between Hamas and the Israeli state.
“Let me be clear: whatever this prosecutor might imply, there is no equivalence—none—between Israel and Hamas,” he said.
Despite Mr. Khan’s intention to prosecute both leaders of Israel and Hamas, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the ICC did not have jurisdiction over the two sides.
Australian PM’s Response
On May 21, Mr. Albanese expressed that he would not take a stance on the issue of Mr. Netanyahu’s warrant arrests.The prime minister said the focus of his government was on opposing the terrorist atrocity committed by Hamas while calling for a peaceful solution to the conflict.
“We have called for the release of hostages. We have called for a humanitarian ceasefire. We have called for increased humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza,” he said.
“We have said that every life matters, whether it be Israeli or Palestinian.”
Mr. Albanese also noted that the Labor government supported progress towards a two-state solution.
“That is where we are concentrating, playing a role where we can in promoting the right of both Israelis and Palestinians to live in security, in peace, and with prosperity,” he said.
Opposition’s Criticism
However, Mr. Dutton stated that Australia should “stand shoulder to shoulder” with President Biden.“I very strongly support the comments of President Biden today in relation to the ICC,” he said.
“It’s an abomination, and it needs to be ceased. This action is anti-Semitic, and it is against the interests of peace in the Middle East.
“He [President Biden] has shown leadership by standing up against this equivalence, which is completely and utterly repugnant to compare the Israeli prime minister to a terrorist organisation leader.”
The opposition leader also criticised Mr. Albanese for staying on the sideline.
“The prime minister squibbed it today when he was asked about this issue, and the prime minister had the opportunity at the ICC where Australia was consulted in relation to this matter–they didn’t weigh in and say they were against this measure, instead, they sat on the sideline and had nothing to say about it at all,” he said.
Furthermore, Mr. Dutton accused the prime minister of “tarnishing” Australia’s relationships with allies for not being strong enough to stand up alongside President Biden.
