Colombia’s left-wing president, Gustavo Petro, believes that Benjamin Netanyahu shows no tendency to want to “stop the genocide” of Palestinians – and points out that the International Criminal Court ICC should therefore also arrest the Israeli leader.
Petro has previously declared Netanyahu “genocidal” and cut off all diplomatic relations with Israel – because of the crimes commited in Gaza. Now he goes even further and believes that there is reason to arrest Netanyahu.
“Netanyahu will not stop the genocide. That implies an international arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court,” he writes on X.
Netanyahu no detendrá el genocidio. Lo cual implica una orden de detención interrnacional de la Corte Penal.
El Consejo de seguridad debe entrar a considerar el establecimiento de una fuerza de paz en el territorio de Gaza. https://t.co/6pV9oJlZJw
Petro further argues that the UN Security Council “must start considering the establishment of a peacekeeping force in the territory of Gaza” to put an end to the abuses.
“Genocide is genocide”
After Colombia, along with countries such as Bolivia, Belize and South Africa, broke all ties with Israel, the Israelis countered by accusing Petro of being “anti-Semitic and hateful”, claiming he was rewarding terror-linked Hamas.
Netanyahu said it would be “a scandal of historic proportions” if the ICC issued an arrest warrant against him or other Israeli officials for alleged war crimes.
So far, at least 35,000 people are estimated to have been killed in Gaza during Israel’s “offensive” – most of them women and children. The Colombian president believes that history will judge Benjamin Netanyahu very harshly.
Señor Netanyahu, pasará usted a la historia como un genocida. Lanzar bombas sobre miles de niños y niñas, mujeres y ancianos inocentes no lo hace a usted un héroe. Queda usted al lado de quienes mataron millones de judíos en Europa.
“Mr. Netanyahu, you will go down in history as a genocidaire. Dropping bombs on thousands of innocent children, women and elderly people does not make you a hero. You are still standing with those who killed millions of Jews in Europe. A genocide is a genocide whether he follows a religion or not. At least try to stop the massacre“, he writes in another post on X.
We don’t have a billionaire owner, and our unique reader-funded model keeps us free from political or corporate influence. This means we can fearlessly report the facts and shine a light on the misdeeds of those in power.
Consider a donation to keep our independent journalism running…
Violence erupted in Amsterdam following the UEFA Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv on November 7, 2024. Tensions between rival football fans escalated into violent confrontations, leaving several injured and resulting in multiple arrests.
Moroccan-born State Secretary Nora Achahbar resigned in protest, criticizing the Dutch government’s handling of the events, which she claimed unfairly targeted immigrant communities.
On the night before the match, around 11 pm local time, four people were arrested after pro-Palestinian graffiti was sprayed at the Johan Cruyff Arena, where the game was scheduled to take place.
Later that night, a group of Maccabi fans reportedly tore down and burned a Palestinian flag from a building facade. Videos captured some supporters chanting slogans like “Ole” and “F— you Palestine”, while a taxi was vandalized. Following a call on social media, a group of Muslim taxi drivers reportedly headed to the Holland Casino, where approximately 400 Israeli supporters were gathered. Authorities quickly intervened, dispersing the group and escorting the supporters out of the casino.
Authorities reported “relatively small” confrontations continuing near the casino later that night.
”We wil f— the Arabs”
The next day, at around 1 pm CET, Maccabi supporters gathered at Dam Square for a pro-Israel demonstration. Videos posted online captured some fans chanting anti-Arab slogans, such as “Death to the Arabs” and “Let the IDF win. We will f— the Arabs”. Another Palestinian flag was torn down during the demonstration, leading to two arrests.
A pro-Palestinian protest, initially planned outside the Johan Cruyff Arena during the match, was relocated by Amsterdam’s mayor, Femke Halsema, to a remote location. The decision, aimed at preventing further clashes, was met with criticism from activists.
Targeted attacks after the match
After Ajax’s 5-0 victory, messages appeared on social media “confirming that there are groups that are looking for a confrontation with Maccabi supporters”, according to Tuesday’s report. Officials cited screenshots from messaging apps that called for a “Jew hunt”. Groups of masked youths on scooters and e-bikes targeted Maccabi supporters, chasing and assaulting them in what authorities described as “hit-and-run” attacks. At least five people were hospitalized, and 20 to 30 others sustained minor injuries.
Videos circulated showing people being kicked and beaten in the streets. In one clip, a man was heard shouting at a victim lying on the ground, “This is for the children! For the children, motherf—-r. Free Palestine now”. Another video showed men, some wearing Maccabi fan colors, picking up pipes and boards from a construction site before chasing and assaulting a man.
Later that night the Israeli ambassador contacted the mayor saying there was “lots of anger” in Israel over the events in Amsterdam. More footage in social media showed some Maccabi fans at the Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport singing “Why is school out in Gaza? There are no children left there”.
Police shoving pro-Palestinian supporters
Dutch police arrested 62 people, including Dutch and Israeli citizens. Four Dutch men remain in custody for further investigation. Authorities also launched a probe using CCTV and social media footage to identify perpetrators.
Two days later, on November 10, police detained 50 people at a pro-Palestinian rally for ignoring a protest ban. Another 340 individuals were transported by bus to the outskirts of the city. Critics accused the police of using excessive force, particularly against peaceful protesters.
Giordano Gronchi, a witness to these events, shares his experience with The Nordic Times:
– I was present to take footage rather than protest outright, but things turned ugly quickly. Police began harassing protestors—pushing, shoving, and slamming into them. Protestors formed groups, but the police encircled them, tightening their rings with vans. They pulled people out, subdued them, and arrested many.
At one point, I moved to a group near Damrak street, where protestors were chanting and playing drums, entirely non-violent. Police in riot gear funneled them into Nieuwendijk street, announcing the protest was illegal. The street became a blockade, with riot officers sealing both ends. Customers from nearby stores were also trapped in the cramped space.
I was behind the police line filming when an officer shoved me into Nieuwendijk. I explained I wasn’t protesting, but I wasn’t listened to. Inside, I was told everyone in the blockade was under arrest. After showing my ID, I was let out. Later, I heard the police began beating people and arrested most protesters.
Investigations to focus on “antisemitic motives”
Rioters set fire to an empty tram and damaged several cars. A police car was also set alight. Videos posted on social media showed the attackers shouting “Free Palestine” and throwing fireworks and other objects at the tram. Dutch authorities made five more arrests.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the attacks on Maccabi supporters as a “planned antisemitic attack” and compared them to the 1938 Kristallnacht pogrom. Dutch King Willem-Alexander expressed concern about the violence, citing the Netherlands’ history of failing to protect its Jewish community during the Holocaust.
Following the events, Moroccan-born State Secretary Nora Achahbar resigned from the Dutch government in protest against what she described as racist remarks made by her colleagues. Achahbar’s resignation followed a cabinet meeting on November 11, where she openly criticized the language used by members of Prime Minister Dick Schoof’s administration to describe the violence in Amsterdam.
Achahbar expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s narrative, which she felt unfairly targeted immigrant communities, particularly Dutch-Moroccans, while ignoring provocations from Maccabi supporters. Opposition leaders have since voiced support for Achahbar, condemning the government’s handling of the situation and calling for greater accountability and transparency.
Investigations to determine the perpetrators are still underway. Authorities are focusing on identifying the perpetrators through CCTV and social media analysis. The public prosecutor has stated that the investigation will prioritize antisemitic motives behind the attacks. Additionally, a partial state of emergency was declared, allowing police to conduct random stop-and-search operations to prevent further violence.
90% of Gaza’s population is displaced.Almost 50,000 people have been killed, the vast majority of them women and children, and many more are seriously injured.
Lisa Hultman, a peace and conflict researcher at Uppsala University in Sweden, says there are many indications that the mass murder of Palestinian civilians is deliberate and part of the Israeli strategy.
According to the UN, about seven out of ten people killed in Gaza are women and children, an extremely high proportion compared to other armed conflicts.
− The level of violence against civilians in Gaza is extreme compared to other conflicts, especially in terms of the number of children killed.The death of so many children is also clear evidence that civilians are the main victims.
Israel has blamed the high number of civilian casualties on the use of civilians as shields by Hamas and other groups, and the peace researcher believes that this has probably happened, but that this does not give Israel a free pass to kill civilian men, women and children.
“Cannot be justified”
She also points out that the extremely high death toll may well be due to Israel actively and deliberately targeting civilians − and that it does not have to be about some kind of mistake or unintentional collateral damage.
− There are indications that the high number of casualties in Gaza is not the result of carelessness but may also be deliberate, as supported by statements from some political and military leaders.These statements indicate an intention to clear certain areas, which may point to an ongoing genocide.
− To a certain extent, you can strike military targets even if it leads to civilian casualties.But on the scale we are seeing in Gaza, it is not justifiable, she continued.
US defends Israel
According to Hultman, the fact that few countries have so far chosen to call what is happening in Gaza a genocide is because the states in question then also have a legal responsibility to stop what is happening.
− This is partly because it comes with a responsibility.The Genocide Convention states that all states have a responsibility to prevent genocide.This means that if we recognize that genocide is taking place, then other states and the international community also have a responsibility to act.
For Sweden and other Western countries, it is also a matter of not wanting to clash with the United States, which is Israel’s most important ally and on which most European countries are dependent. She also emphasizes that only the UN Security Council can take coercive measures against Tel Aviv − and that the US has veto power there and has so far chosen to block all such initiatives.
“Must stand up for the civilian population”
While she does not see an imminent solution to the conflict, she believes that it is necessary for more states to join forces and go beyond pressure on Israel.
− EU countries can take initiatives and put pressure, but they don’t have enough influence in the region.I think it’s necessary for the US and the Arab states to come together and discuss some kind of agreement for the region.And then it will need to be backed up by military forces, some kind of international or regional force on the ground.
− We have to be able to recognize that on both sides there have been abuses of various dimensions.The political leadership on both sides is extremist.We must stand up for the good of the civilian population, both in Gaza and in Israel, she concluded.
The freedom of expression organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is concerned and dismayed by the growing scope and arbitrariness of Israel’s censorship apparatus under Benjamin Netanyahu, and how even critical domestic media are now being smeared and targeted by the country’s government.
It is noted that it is not only the Qatari Al-Jazeera that has been effectively banned, but that the Israeli government has imposed stricter rules and censorship on all foreign media that the security services claim are in any way harmful to Israel and its security.
In early November, another law giving the Israeli government more power over the country’s public broadcasters was passed, and the Israeli left-liberal Haaretz, which has highlighted corruption and crimes linked to Netanyahu’s rule, is now boycotted by the Israeli state.
– Benyamin Netanyahu’s government is openly targeting media independence and pluralism in Israel. Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, who follows the hardline stances of the Likud party, is leveraging the ongoing war to silence voices that criticize the far-right coalition in power. These media laws are proposed by Likud parliamentarians and swiftly approved by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation, which is dominated by the same party. These legal attacks will have lasting, detrimental effects on Israel’s media landscape, says Anne Bocandé, editorial director of RSF.
– Most notably, the free press in a country (Israel) that describes itself as ‘the only democracy in the Middle East’ will be undermined, she continues.
“Peculiar form of press freedom”
There are warnings that media critical of Netanyahu and his allies are being smeared and demonized – and even critical Israeli media are allegedly engaging in “anti-Israeli propaganda”– while more than 145 journalists have been killed by the Israeli military in Gaza.
The suspension of foreign media such as Al-Jazeera and Al-Mayadeen from broadcasting in Israel was expected by observers given the Netanyahu administration’s views on press freedom, but the boycott and silencing of established domestic media such as Haaretz has surprised many.
– It is a remarkable and contradictory decision by Israel.Its government seems to stand for a peculiar form of press freedom.They say they stand up for it, but when an outspoken newspaper like Haaretz takes advantage of it, it is boycotted, says RSF Sweden’s chairman Erik Larsson to the Swedish trade magazine Journalisten.
– Israel is usually described as a democracy but now the media is under attack.Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi is tightening his grip with laws that silence critical voices, strengthen pro-government channels and threaten freedom of the press in the country, which is now declining and is only 101st out of 180 in Reporters Without Borders’ index, he explains.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) today issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (left).
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Both are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in connection with the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Israel rejects the ICC’s jurisdiction, claiming that the ICC engages in “anti-Semitism”.
The ICC accuses Netanyahu and Gallant of deliberately depriving the civilian population of Gaza of access to basic necessities such as food, water, medicine and electricity between October 2023 and May 2024, Reuters reports.
The court further alleges that they used starvation as a method of warfare, which according to the ICC has caused a large number of civilian deaths and suffering to the civilian population of Gaza.
– There are reasonable grounds both individuals intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity, the ICC explained in a statement.
The court also considers that Netanyahu and Gallant can be held responsible as civilian leaders for attacks against the civilian population of Gaza. However, the arrest warrants are classified to protect witnesses and investigations.
BREAKING:
The International Criminal Court (@IntlCrimCourt) has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, charging them with CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY and WAR CRIMES committed against the Palestinian people. pic.twitter.com/NhwEmjGaNT
On the same day, the ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri, a senior Hamas commander, for alleged war crimes.
Al-Masri is accused of murder, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence, and hostage-taking. According to unconfirmed reports, he was killed in action in July 2024.
Benjamin Netanyahu reacted to the arrest warrants issued by the Supreme Court in The Hague: – An anti-Semitic decision reminiscent of the Dreyfus trial. We will not succumb to pressure.
Netanyahu responds to the arrest warrants issued by the High Court in The Hague: “An anti-Semitic decision reminiscent of the Dreyfus trial. We will not succumb to pressure.” https://t.co/jRVlXzBsezpic.twitter.com/7mdf4EYXlI
Recently deposed Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has previously described the ICC’s work as an attempt to equate Hamas and Israel.
–It is a despicable attempt to draw parallels between Hamas and Israel, which is exercising its right for self-defense, Gallant said in a statement in May 2024.
Under the ICC, member states of the Rome Statute are obliged to cooperate in arrests if the suspects travel to their territory. However, several major nations, such as the US, Russia and China, do not recognize the court, making it difficult to execute arrest warrants.
