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ICC ARREST WARRANTS
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defence minister Yoav Gallant and senior Hamas official Mohammed Deif.
Judges at the ICC issued the warrants on Thursday for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during Israel’s war in Gaza, the ABC reports. The BBC flags both Israel and Hamas have rejected the allegations.
Israel has also claimed it killed Deif in an airstrike in July, though Hamas has neither confirmed nor denied this, Reuters says.
Responding to the warrants, the Israeli prime minister’s office said Israel “utterly rejects the false and absurd charges of the International Criminal Court”, the BBC reports. “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not give in to pressure. He will continue to pursue all the objectives that Israel set out to achieve in its just war against Hamas and the Iranian axis of terror,” the PM’s office added. The broadcaster quotes Gallant as saying: “The decision sets a dangerous precedent against the right to self-defence and moral warfare and encourages murderous terrorism.”
Reuters reports Hamas’ official statement declared: “We call on the International Criminal Court to expand the scope of accountability to all criminal occupation leaders.”
The BBC highlights the impact of the warrants issued would depend on whether the ICC’s members, which do not include Israel or the US, decide to enforce them.
The Guardian flags the US has said it “fundamentally rejects” the decision by the ICC. A US National Security Council spokesperson is quoted as saying: “We remain deeply concerned by the prosecutor’s rush to seek arrest warrants and the troubling process errors that led to this decision. The United States has been clear that the ICC does not have jurisdiction over this matter.”
However, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell is quoted by euronews as saying: “It is not a political decision, it is a decision of a court, of a court of justice, an international court of justice. And the decision of the court has to be respected and implemented.”
Elsewhere in world news, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile at Ukraine on Thursday in response to the use of US and British weaponry by Kyiv earlier this week.
The BBC quotes Putin as saying: “In combat conditions, a test was carried out of one of the latest Russian intermediate-range missile systems. In this case, with a non-nuclear hypersonic version of a ballistic missile,” adding the “test was successful. The target was reached”.
Yesterday Reuters cited sources claiming Putin was open to discussing a Ukraine ceasefire deal with incoming US president Donald Trump but with an insistence Kyiv gives up on plans to join NATO and ruling out Moscow making any major territorial concessions.
In the last few hours Trump has suffered something of a setback domestically with his pick for attorney-general, Matt Gaetz, withdrawing his name from consideration.
Writing on X Gaetz said: “I had excellent meetings with senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback — and the incredible support of so many. While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance transition.
“There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as attorney-general. Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on day one. I remain fully committed to see that Donald J. Trump is the most successful president in history. I will forever be honoured that president Trump nominated me to lead the Department of Justice and I’m certain he will save America.”
DEPORTATION RISK
Guardian Australia and AAP are giving considerable coverage this morning to claims more than 80,000 people could be potentially removed to third countries by the Albanese government’s migration bill.
The newswire says the proposed amendments to the Migration Act would seek to deport non-citizens and pay third countries for their part in the removals. The bill has passed the House of Representatives and was yesterday subject to a Senate inquiry.
Guardian Australia reports government officials have said most of those involved could return to their home country and thousands do so voluntarily. AAP flags the government has not detailed which countries it has been in discussion with.
Associate legal director of the Human Rights Law Centre Josephine Langbien told the Senate inquiry: “We don’t know which countries will be included. We don’t know how those countries will treat people who are sent there. They could be detained arbitrarily, denied medical treatment, violently attacked or killed, or sent back to their country of origin.”
Meanwhile, the AAP flags that thousands of people are expected to march in Melbourne later today demanding an end to gender-based violence.
The newswire said “vast” crowds are expected in what is the start of 16 days of activism. Respect Victoria Chairperson Kate Fitz-Gibbon said the two weeks represented “great opportunities for all Victorians to get involved in shifting the narrative”.
Respect Victoria said on its website this morning’s event “marks the beginning of the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence — a global campaign for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls. By joining the walk you can take action to prevent family violence and violence against women and stand in solidarity with victim survivors.” The march is set to begin at 11am at Birrarung Marr.
The AAP also reports climate activists will stage a protest against fossil fuels at the world’s biggest coal export port, Newcastle Harbour, later “with a flotilla, live music and other events revolving around protest and climate”.
The newswire said the protest comes after organisers Rising Tide launched a successful last-minute legal challenge to overturn a “marine exclusion zone” planned by the NSW government which would have stopped protesters from being able to enter the water.
Finally, as we get to the end of what might be the penultimate sitting week of this parliamentary term, the Nine newspapers are amping up the speculation swirling in Canberra that we may get an election in March next year. The Sydney Morning Heralds says Labor will move to a “campaign war footing” before Christmas with the party’s national campaign office reportedly being set up near Surry Hills in Sydney next month. The Liberal and National parties have leased a campaign office in Parramatta, the paper adds.
ON A LIGHTER NOTE…
Pamela Hayden, the actor who voices numerous characters on The Simpsons including everyone’s favourite Milhouse is retiring from the show after 35 years, The Guardian reports.
Hayden, who also voices Ned Flanders’ children Rod and Todd, Lisa’s friend Janey Powell, school bully Jimbo Jones and Chief Wiggum’s wife Sarah, said in a statement: “The time has come for me to hang up my microphone.”
In a video on Instagram, the 70-year-old said of all her characters, Milhouse was her “main guy”.
“People are always saying what a nerd he is, but one thing that I love about Milhouse is he’s always getting knocked down, but he keeps getting up. I love the little guy. It’s this wonderful analogy for life.”
As a wise boy once said, everything’s coming up Milhouse.
Say What?
I stand here, neither defeated or disposed, lucky to have served, fortunate to be able to say goodbye.
Bill Shorten
Someone else who is retiring (from politics) is former Labor leader Bill Shorten who delivered his valedictory speech on Thursday. The Sydney Morning Herald said hundreds of people stood, applauded and cheered Shorten following his speech in the House of Representatives. Shorten is off to be the vice-chancellor of the University of Canberra from February.
CRIKEY RECAP
At a press conference announcing the federal government’s plans to ban Australians under the age of 16 from using social media earlier this month, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese thanked South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas and New South Wales Premier Chris Minns.
The pair had been responsible for organising a jointly-held social media summit, Albanese said, which was “most instructive” as part of the government’s consultation in coming up with the ban.
But far from being a frank discussion of the ban’s benefits and drawbacks or a wide canvassing of possible ways to address concerns about social media, internal emails from Malinauskas’ office and interviews with attendees suggest the event was carefully stage-managed with the explicit purpose of creating “momentum” for the social media ban.
Simon Holmes à Court is not a billionaire — “not even close,” he tells me.
The Climate 200 founder is often described as the son of Australia’s first billionaire, with Peter Dutton and David Littleproud recently suggesting he is one too. Labor’s electoral reforms, which the Coalition is currently helping rush through, are pitched as getting “big money” out of politics, using him and mining magnate Clive Palmer as examples of said money.
But Holmes à Court is adamant he and Palmer are “not in the same league”. The Melbourne-based businessman, who isn’t on rich lists, donated $250,000 at the 2022 election — less than 2% of what Climate 200 raised, paling in comparison to Palmer’s $120 million. He’s not “crying poor”, he says. But he’s clearly exasperated at the way he continues to be portrayed.
“The Australian has pumped me up as a billionaire Palmer-like figure,” he says. “There’s the Karl Rove playbook thing of ‘accuse your opponent of your biggest flaw’, right? Dutton’s taking Gina’s private jet around the country … Labor has taken millions from Pratt … But it suits them to paint me as being ‘big money’.”
On October 24, five police officers turned up on Jasmine Duff’s doorstep. Despite not having a warrant, Duff claims they insisted on coming into the house to look for her. “They walked into my room as I was climbing out of bed and placed me under arrest,” Duff tells Crikey. “One officer stayed in the room while I stripped down to get dressed, telling my housemate ‘It’s so she doesn’t jump out the window’.”
Duff says she was taken to a police station, shown photographs of herself at the anti-war protest outside the Land Forces Defence Expo at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in September, and charged with affray. The expo is an international showcase for weapons and military technology manufacturers, described by anti-war demonstrators as a “one-stop genocide shop” that should not be hosted in Australia or supported by government funding (the Victorian government was a “principal sponsor” of this year’s event).
Duff is one of the many Disrupt Land Forces protesters attending hearings today at the Melbourne Magistrates Court. Victoria police have confirmed that 110 people have been arrested for their participation in the protest. While 89 arrests were made on the spot at the demonstrations from September 11 to 13, a further 21 people have since been arrested. Many of these individuals were arrested at their homes in a series of “raids” beginning in late October, like that experienced by Duff.
READ ALL ABOUT IT
Australian backpacker dies as countries warn of suspected methanol poisonings in Laos (CNN)
Mali releases Resolute Mining CEO and other executives after $US160 million random paid (ABC)
For Netanyahu, wanted by a landmark warrant, a smaller world (The New York Times) ($)
Elon Musk to ‘summon MPs to US to explain threats to American citizens’ (The Guardian)
Sell Chrome to end search monopoly, Google told (BBC)
Disney TV star removes snake from a plane (The Australian) ($)
THE COMMENTARIAT
Time to land ‘Airbus Albo’. Letting fly over PM’s travels is plain silly — David Crowe (The Sydney Morning Herald): So the complaint that the prime minister travels too much — the “Airbus Albo” line in parts of the media — is puerile. That did not stop The Daily Telegraph from using its front page on Wednesday to smash Albanese for being away. What was revealing, however, was that newspaper had to resort to using the Institute of Public Affairs, a conservative group loyal to the Liberals, to offer a quote saying there was a problem. And this was after the critics wanted Albanese to fly to Israel, Indonesia and a NATO summit at various points this year. Some even suggested he should fly to Mar-a-Lago to see Trump. The hypocrisy is rampant.
The government’s mistake was planning two weeks of Parliament at the same time as the G20 when it knew Albanese would have to be away. It could have moved the sittings one week later so Parliament ended in the first week of December rather than November 28. In the end, the prime minister’s absence for three sitting days did not slow the government or the Parliament.
While there were some conservative conniptions when Albanese met with Xi, there was no sacrifice of Australian sovereignty in talking to the Chinese president. Albanese listened to Xi across the table and then put Australia’s position on fair trade and the need to maintain the status quo on Taiwan. He also expressed concern at the treatment of Australian writer Yang Hengjun, who is in prison in China after receiving a suspended death sentence.
So the prime minister made effective use of the summits. Yes, the plenary sessions were padded with platitudes. All the real work was in the face-to-face talks.
Albanese weighed down abroad by parlous state of world — Phillip Coorey (AFR): Equally weighing on Albanese’s mind while abroad was the increasingly parlous state of the world, exacerbated by the second coming of Trump.
This government has an unfortunate, avoidable and inexplicable habit of scheduling parliamentary sitting weeks to clash with the prime minister’s commitments abroad. This only amplifies his absence, especially when Parliament is blowing up as it did this week over foreign student caps, and gives Albanese’s detractors ammunition to claim he’s not tuned in to domestic concerns,
Which, of course, is untrue. Every press conference over the past seven days began with the domestic political spinoffs of the policy positions Australia was putting at the summits or at the bilateral meetings being held — be it job creation, generating growth or lowering inflation.