Israel will not permit its soldiers to be hauled in front of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on potential war crimes charges, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said on Sunday.
"We will not let Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers and officers be dragged to the International Criminal Court in The Hague," Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting. The Palestinian Authority (PA) formally presented a request to the United Nations on Friday to join the ICC.
"It is the Palestinian Authority leaders - who have allied with the war criminals of Hamas - who must be called to account," he continued. "The soldiers of the IDF will continue to defend the State of Israel with strength and determination and just as they defend us, we will defend them with the same strength and determination."
Netanyahu also addressed the Cabinet agenda, noting that a crucial decision is being made on whether to move IDF bases to the south (Negev).
"Today, the Cabinet will make a two-fold decision, which I think is historic, on the development of the Negev and the vacating of IDF bases from real estate sites in the center of the country," he said. "This is a welcome decision."
"We are moving IDF training bases – intelligence and signal corps – to the south," he continued. "This will lead to a great change in the Negev. International companies are coming to the Negev. Strong populations are going there. Major development is coming to the Negev."
"This is part of the development of the Negev, but it is doing something else as well," he added. "We are vacating bases in places such as Tzrifin, Syrkin, Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan and elsewhere and are thereby creating the possibility of building approximately 60,000 new residential units in the center of the country. This is in addition to the relocation of Israel Military Industries, which will provide another approximately 40,000 housing units, for a total of around 100,000 housing units in the major high-demand areas in the center of the country."
"This is a very great change; this is also the right way to deal with housing prices: Increasing supply by creating demand and the supply for this demand in the most high-demand areas in the center of the country, and development of the periphery," he concluded.