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Netanyahu may accept ceasefire in Lebanon to stop Hezbollah bombings — diplomat

According to al-Maliki, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the only obstacle to a ceasefire in Gaza

ROME, November 25. /TASS/. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may agree to a ceasefire in Lebanon to put an end to Hezbollah’s non-stop bombing of Israeli cities, Palestinian presidential envoy for international relations Riyad al-Maliki said.

"A ceasefire in Lebanon might be achieved due to the daily attacks on Israeli cities. The tragedy is that the only way [to achieve this] is launching missiles. The situation in the Gaza Strip is different," the ANSA news agency quoted him as saying.

According to al-Maliki, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the only obstacle to a ceasefire in Gaza. "Netanyahu is not interested in this, just as he is not interested in the release of hostages and peace in the region. He wants to expand the war," he said.

The Palestinian diplomat expressed hope that Rome would observe the ruling on Netanyahu’s arrest under the warrant of the International Criminal Court (ICC). He slammed Italy’s indecisiveness on this matter, as it has not yet officially announced its stance, as a case of double standards. "It seems that the position is being reconsidered depending on the occasion, raising questions about the legal justification for the ruling. This is a clear example of double standards," he pointed out.

Earlier, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Israeli former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The ICC also demanded the arrest of Hamas military wing commander Mohammed Deif, who was declared dead by the Israel Defense Forces in August. Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that the European Union considers the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant as binding.