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International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan said yesterday he had requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defence minister Yoav Gallant and three Hamas leaders over alleged war crimes.
Khan said that after more than seven months of war in Gaza he had reasonable grounds to believe the five men “bear criminal responsibility” for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Israeli and Palestinian leaders dismissed the allegations of war crimes, and representatives for both sides criticized Khan’s decision. While some of Israel’s allies criticized the court, including U.S. President Joe Biden, several European countries supported the warrants, including key ally France.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives to his Likud party faction meeting at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem, May 20, 2024.Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
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Middle East’s future uncertain after death of Iran’s president, ICC warrants against Netanyahu
Iran announced five days of mourning yesterday after the death of president Ebrahim Raisi, a hardliner who was seen as a potential successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Raisi was killed when his helicopter crashed in poor weather in mountains near the Azerbaijan border, officials and state media said yesterday.
The crash happened at a time of growing dissent within Iran over an array of political, social and economic crises. And it also happened at a time when the decades-long shadow war between Iran and Israel seemed destined to escalate amid the war in Gaza.
But where that conflict goes from here is clouded by yesterday’s events – the death of Raisi and the International Criminal Court seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for their roles in alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Gaza Strip.
- Opinion: Do not weep for the Butcher of Tehran
- Opinion: Ebrahim Raisi’s death will not usher in change to the Islamic Republic
Ottawa down to two final candidates for next chief of defence staff
The federal government has narrowed the list of candidates to succeed General Wayne Eyre as chief of the defence staff to two, with Lieutenant-General Jennie Carignan among the front-runners, two sources said.
According to the sources, Carignan is part of a pool of at least four possible successors whose names are circulating in the defence community and the Department of National Defence. Carignan has to be considered first in line for the job, one of the sources said, because she is a three-star general who has commanded troops in a NATO mission in Iraq, served as chief of staff of army operations and held senior roles at National Defence headquarters.
It’s unclear when the government will pick a successor. It was already announced that Eyre is retiring this summer, but he may end up staying in the post until after the July 9-11 North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Washington.
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Also on our radar
Debate over student housing in Kingston heats up: The city of Kingston is dealing with its housing crisis by increasing residential supply. But it is also growing denser in a way that is proving especially controversial: high-rise apartment buildings catering to students, which opponents say disrupt the balance of central neighbourhoods, bringing loud parties and increased traffic congestion.
Pot legalization tied to more hospital visits: A study published yesterday says the number of older Canadians seeking emergency medical treatment from cannabis poisoning has risen sharply in the years since the drug became legal. The study also says that the use of cannabis among those over the age of 65 has grown faster than in any other age group since legalization.
Liberals release action plan on auto theft: In an effort to tackle soaring auto thefts across the country, the federal government announced yesterday that it is launching a national action plan that will create harsher penalties for thefts with ties to violence, organized crime and money laundering.
Banks report second-quarter earnings: The country’s largest banks are expected to post slower profit growth in their second-quarter earnings this week, analysts say. The banks continue to be hit by high borrowing costs and slower economic growth as they wait for the Bank of Canada to start cutting interest rates.
Morning markets
Global stocks drifted lower as investors awaited minutes of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s latest policy meeting to gauge the timing and extent of possible interest rate cuts this year.
Europe’s benchmark STOXX index of 600 stocks slid 0.3 per cent, following an earlier decline of 0.9 per cent in MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan.
In early trading, Britain’s FTSE 100 fell 0.5 per cent, Germany’s DAX gave back 0.39 per cent and France’s CAC 40 retreated 0.78 per cent.
In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei closed down 0.31 per cent at 38,946.93, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dropped 2.12 per cent to 19,220.62.
The Canadian dollar traded at 73.37 U.S. cents.
What everyone’s talking about
Editorial: “The Liberals’ climate ambitions have helped reduce Canada’s emissions 5 per cent during their time in office but remain far from the target. The retreat on the federal environmental review law doesn’t mean the end of progress, but it puts more pressure on other policies to achieve the country’s climate goals.”
Ben Eisen: “The Ford and Trudeau governments share an affection for corporate welfare. However, that’s not the only similarity. The two governments largely operate out of similar policy playbooks when it comes to spending, government debt and taxes.”
Today’s editorial cartoon
Illustration by David Parkins
Living better
A spoonful of olive oil a day lowers risk of death from dementia, study suggests
A new study suggests that a hallmark ingredient of the Mediterranean diet – olive oil – plays a protective role in brain aging. According to Harvard University researchers, consuming half a tablespoon of olive oil each day can help lower the risk of dying from dementia. Here’s what to know.
Moment in time: May 21, 1939
King George VI & Queen Elizabeth unveil the War Memorial in Ottawa, May 21, 1939.N.F.B./The Canadian Press
National War Memorial unveiled in Ottawa
In January, 1926, Canada announced that English sculptor Vernon March had won an international design competition for a national memorial to those who served in the Great War (as the First World War was called). March’s entry, The Great Response of Canada, featured bronze soldiers and other service personnel from different branches of the Canadian forces – some on horseback, others walking beside a gun carriage – passing through a granite arch. Work on the project was almost derailed by March’s death in 1930, but his six brothers and sister finished the bronze figures by 1932. The Great Depression and government dithering further delayed the project. It wasn’t until 1937 that a contract was awarded for the monument’s granite base and arch. Veterans were infuriated by the glacial pace of the project. Finally, on this day in 1939, the visiting King George VI, with Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mum) at his side, formally unveiled the memorial. With one eye on the darkening war clouds in Europe, the king applauded “the answer made by Canada when the world’s peace was broken.” Four months later, Canadians responded the same way when Nazi Germany broke the world’s peace. Bill Waiser
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