Ex-US negotiator: ICC warrants will lead Israel to continue war | Conflict Zone

Washington’s former Middle East negotiator, Dennis Ross, told DW that the Israeli-Palestinian situation is currently worse than he has ever seen. Ross said he believed the two sides did not even “believe in peace” right now. Speaking to DW’s Tim Sebastian, the veteran diplomat, who previously took part in US-led negotiations, added that Palestinian statehood was needed if the Palestinians chose it — but that it could not be produced overnight. Ross also said he thought the arrest warrants sought by the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant would lead Israel to continue the war in Gaza because for many Israelis it seemed to imply a “moral equivalency” between Israel and Hamas. Ross said the sour mood in US-Israeli relations was “leadership” driven and that Washington had red lines for Israel in its military operations in Gaza.