Colombia Prepares Embassy in Ramallah, Germany Ready to Arrest Netanyahu

After cutting ties with Israel, Colombia will open an embassy in Ramallah, Palestine.

AFP / RAUL ARBOLEDA

Colombian President Gustavo Petro attends Labor Day commemorations in Bogota, Colombia, Wednesday (1/5/2024).

BOGOTA, THURSDAY — Colombian President Gustavo Petro ordered the opening of the embassy in Ramallah, Palestine. Meanwhile, Germany stated that it was ready to assist in the arrest of Benjamin Netanyahu if there was an order from the International Criminal Court.

The Petro directive was revealed by Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo on Wednesday (May 22, 2024) noon Bogota time or early Thursday morning Indonesian time. "President Petro has instructed us to open the Colombian Embassy in Ramallah, as Colombia's representative in Ramallah," he said.

Also read: Colombia Severs Diplomatic Relations with Israel

Ramallah is now the center of Palestinian government in the West Bank. The order to open the embassy came weeks after Colombia cut diplomatic ties with Israel.

Achieving peace and stability must be based on resolving the Palestinian problem.

Murillo stated that more and more countries will support Palestine. The statement came after Ireland, Spain, and Norway recognized Palestine as a state. "The United Nations agreed in the context of the Oslo Accords that the Two-State Solution must be realized and if two states are needed, Palestine must be fully recognized as a state," said Murillo.

AFP/PAUL FAITH

Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris (left) and Foreign Minister Michel Martin announced Ireland's recognition of Palestine on Wednesday (22/5/2024) in Dublin.

In their statement, Spain and Ireland did not specifically mention the recognized Palestinian territories. Meanwhile, Norway recognizes the Palestinian territories in accordance with the conditions before the year 1967. Therefore, Norway does not recognize Israel's occupation of the West Bank. Norway is one of the important contributors to various humanitarian missions in Palestine.

”The ongoing war in Gaza has made it clear that achieving peace and stability must be based on resolving the Palestinian issue. The war was the lowest point in the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The situation in the Middle East has not been this bad for years,” said Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

Also read: Norway-Indonesia Fights for Two-State Solution

This recognition by the two European Union members plus Norway of course sparked anger in Israel. The Israeli government, citizens and mass media condemned the decision. An editorial in The Jerusalem Post called the recognition a victory for the terror group.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Government, besides getting angry, also halted the sending of Palestinian funds. Since the Oslo Agreement, Israel has collected taxes from Palestinians in the West Bank or those working in Israel. The tax should be handed over to the Palestinian Authority. In fact, Israel has repeatedly suspended or at least delayed the transfer of funds.

Ready to catch

From Berlin, it is reported that the spokesperson for the German Chancellor's Office, Steffen Hebestreit, stated that Germany will comply with the law. This applies to the potential arrest of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. "We will comply with the law," he said.

AFP/LUIS ACOSTA

International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan during his visit to Bogota, Colombia in April 2024. This week, he announced that he has requested the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

He made the statement when asked if the International Criminal Court (ICC) in Berlin had arrested Netanyahu. The ICC prosecutor is currently awaiting a judge's decision on the request for the arrest of Netanyahu and four other individuals.

Also read: With the support of George Clooney's wife, prosecutors want to arrest Netanyahu

The arrest application is being examined by the ICC panel of judges. Typically, the judge needs at least a month to grant or reject the request.

Development of the war

From Gaza, it was reported that five out of 10 Israeli brigades in Gaza are now in Rafah and its surroundings. The Institute for the Study of War and Critical Threats Project reported that the troops are located, among other places, in the Philadelphia Corridor. This corridor is a 14-kilometer route between Rafah and Egypt.

AFP

Queue for water supplies in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, on May 21, 2024.

In addition to ground forces, Israel is also consistently launching air attacks on Rafah and several other areas in Gaza. Only on Wednesday, Israel launched 130 air strikes on Gaza.

Meanwhile, Defense for Children International Palestine (DCIP), a nonprofit organization in the United States, is urging the US to stop supplying weapons to Israel. US-made weapons are not only used to attack Gaza, but also to attack the West Bank.

Also read: The ICC's Long Struggle to Put Netanyahu in the Chair of War Criminals

DCIP, among other things, has gathered evidence of the use of weapons made in the US by Israel in Jenin this week. The victim was a 15-year-old teenage boy. "The US must stop sending weapons to the Israeli military, which uses them to mercilessly kill Palestinian children, both in Gaza and Jenin," said the DCIP statement. (AFP/REUTERS)