G7 ministers throw support behind Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire but make no mention of ICC warrant

FIUGGI, Italy (AP) — Foreign ministers from the world's leading industrialized countries threw their strong support Tuesday behind an immediate ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah but sidestepped a key question after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Israel's leader over the war in Gaza.

At the end of their two-day summit outside Rome, the Group of Seven ministers didn’t refer explicitly to the Hague-based court and its arrest warrants on charges of crimes against humanity for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant.

The warrants said there was reason to believe Netanyahu and Gallant have used "starvation as a method of warfare" by restricting humanitarian aid and have intentionally targeted Palestinian civilians in Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza — charges Israeli officials deny.

Italy had put the ICC warrants on the official G7 meeting agenda, even though members were split on the issue. The U.S., Israel’s closest ally, isn’t a member of the court and has called the warrants “outrageous.” All the other G7 countries are signatories and are obliged to respect and implement the court's decisions.

The final statement adopted by the ministers said Israel, in exercising its right to defend itself, “must fully comply with its obligations under international law in all circumstances, including international humanitarian law.”

And it said all G7 members — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States — “reiterate our commitment to international humanitarian law and will comply with our respective obligations.”

It stressed that “there can be no equivalence between the terrorist group Hamas and the state of Israel.”

The G7 meeting of foreign ministers, the last of the Biden administration, was dominated by the wars in Gaza and Lebanon. Ministers were heartened by indications that a ceasefire might soon be announced between Israel and Hezbollah.

“We are tracking this very closely. I hope and believe we can get this over the finish line,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a G7 briefing.

Netanyahu’s security Cabinet was convening Tuesday to discuss a proposed ceasefire. Among the issues that remain is an Israeli demand to reserve the right to act should Hezbollah violate its obligations under the emerging deal.

The G7 ministers were joined by the foreign ministers of the “Arab Quintet” — Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

The EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said Tuesday there were "no excuses" for Israel to refuse to accept a ceasefire, saying all its security concerns had been addressed in the U.S.-French-brokered deal.

Borrell said under the proposed agreement, the U.S. would chair a ceasefire implementation committee, with France participating at Lebanon's request. The outgoing EU foreign policy chief also called for increased pressure on Israel to not give into extremists in the government who were refusing to accept the deal. Speaking on the sidelines of the G7 meeting, he warned that if a ceasefire is not implemented, "Lebanon will fall apart."

Following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack in Israel, months of fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah have erupted into a full-blown war in recent months, with Israel killing Hezbollah's main leaders and sending ground forces into southern Lebanon.

Israeli bombardment has killed more than 3,500 people in Lebanon and wounded more than 15,000, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. On the Israeli side, about 90 soldiers and nearly 50 civilians have been killed by rockets, drones and missiles in northern Israel and in the fighting on the ground in Lebanon.

Borrell, whose term ends Dec. 1, also said he proposed to the G7 and Arab ministers that the U.N. Security Council take up a resolution specifically demanding humanitarian assistance reach Palestinians in Gaza, saying deliveries there have been completely impeded.

While the G7 meeting was dominated Monday by the Mideast conflicts, attention turned Tuesday to Ukraine. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha briefed the ministers on Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

In their final statement, the ministers condemned Russia's use of North Korean troops in Ukraine and its "irresponsible and threatening nuclear rhetoric."

The G7 has been at the forefront of providing military and economic support for Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, and G7 members are concerned about how a Trump administration will change the U.S. approach.

Donald Trump has criticized the billions of dollars that the Biden administration has poured into Ukraine and has said he could end the war in 24 hours — comments that appear to suggest he would press Ukraine to surrender territory that Russia now occupies.

Tensions have heightened since Russia attacked Ukraine last week with an experimental, hypersonic ballistic missile. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the strike was retaliation for Kyiv's use of U.S. and British longer-range missiles capable of striking deeper into Russian territory.

The final G7 communique vowed the group's continued commitment to Ukraine. “Our support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence will remain unwavering,” the ministers said.

Blinken, at his final G7 before the Biden administration leaves office, said Washington was still standing with its allies.

“Our countries are standing together, along with other partners, to deal with the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine," he said. "We’re standing together to deal with some of the challenges posed by China. We’re standing together in looking to bring a sustainable, lasting peace in the Middle East.”

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AP visual journalist Paolo Santalucia contributed.