CITY OF MEXICO.– The president of Mexico Andrés Manuel López Obrador ratified on Friday the neutrality of his government in Israel’s war against the terrorist group Hamas after the request that the country presented together with Chile in the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate the probable commission of crimes in the Palestinian territories.
“We did not take sides for any of the parties… nor for Israel nor for the Palestinians,” López said in his morning conference when asked about the action that his government presented before the ICC, and affirmed that what Mexico seeks is an end to the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians.
“What is deep down, what should concern us all, is that lives are being lost and we cannot be insensitive,” he added.
After acknowledging that the process before the ICC could “take a long time,” the president stated that an immediate ceasefire and the opening of dialogue between diplomats must be sought to work on a reconciliation process.
Lopez Obrador He reiterated his complaints against the United Nations for its handling of the conflict and said that the Security Council must approve the ceasefire for a time while diplomatic efforts move forward.
The Israeli Embassy in Mexico regretted the Mexican government’s action at the ICC and said in a statement that Hamas continues to engage in “terrorist attacks.”
“Israel hopes that the international community condemns the terrorist attack against civilians and expresses its clear support for the full right of self-defense,” the letter states.
Israeli soldiers – AFP
AFP
Mexico and Chile sent a petition to the ICC to investigate “the probable commission of crimes within its jurisdiction” in the Palestinian territories. The Mexican government expressed in a statement that the action of both countries “is due to growing concern about the latest escalation of violence, particularly against civilian targets, and the alleged continued commission of crimes under the jurisdiction of the Court, specifically against “starting from the October 7, 2023 attack carried out by Hamas militants and the subsequent hostilities in Gaza.”
The Criminal Court already has an investigation open into the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians and so far has not issued any arrest warrant.
The war between Israel and Hamas has caused the death of more than 1,200 Israelis, according to the Israeli government, and more than 24,600 Palestinians, according to data provided by the Gaza health authorities who claim that 85% of the 2.3 Millions of inhabitants of that region have fled their homes. The United Nations noted that a quarter of the population is dying of hunger.
Hamas
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Unlike other countries in the region, Mexico has maintained a neutral position in the war conflict. At the end of last October, Bolivia broke relations with Israel while Colombia and Chile recalled their ambassadors for consultations in protest of the military operations in Gaza in the midst of the war with Hamas.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has spoken out strongly against the war, considering it a “genocide” and his government was one of those that supported the action brought by South Africa against Israel in the International Court of Justice.
Source: AP
