Top Trump allies meet with Netanyahu in Israel as ICC seeks arrest warrants
Top allies of former President Trump traveled to Israel this week to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Former national security adviser Robert O’Brien made the trip alongside two other former Trump administration officials. They stayed in the country for three days, meeting with both Netanyahu and his top political rival, Benny Gantz.
O'Brien was accompanied by John Rakolta, who served as U.S. ambassador to the United Arab Emirates under Trump, and Ed McMullen, a former U.S. ambassador to Switzerland.
"My goal on this trip was really to show support for Israel," O’Brien told NBC News. "But at the same time, people know that I’m a former Trump official, I’m in regular contact with the president and strongly support him in November."
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The trip came as an International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor announced he is seeking warrants for the arrest of both Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes in Gaza.
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O'Brien said he and the other Trump allies also met with Gallant this week.
ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said in a statement that based on evidence collected and examined by his office, he has "reasonable grounds" to believe Netanyahu and Gallant "bear criminal responsibility for... war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on the territory of the State of Palestine."
He said those alleged crimes include "starvation of civilians as a method of warfare" and "intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population."
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Khan also said he is seeking arrest warrants for Hamas' leader, Yahya Sinwar, its top political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, and its military commander, Mohammed Dief.
President Biden slammed the ICC request as "outrageous" on Monday.
"The ICC prosecutor’s application for arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is outrageous," Biden said in a statement issued Monday afternoon.
"And let me be clear: whatever this prosecutor might imply, there is no equivalence – none – between Israel and Hamas," Biden added.
"We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security," the president continued.