George and Amal Clooney miss Biden’s star-studded White House dinner after human rights lawyer supports Benjamin Netanyahu’s arrest
WASHINGTON, DC: On May 23, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden played host for Kenyan President William Ruto and his wife Rachel. The party was attended by many big names but George and Amal Clooney were noticeably missing from the party, OK! Magazine reports.
It is not clear if the couple was not invited or if they willingly chose not to attend it. This came days after Amal and Biden did not seem to be on the same page when the former became a part of a committee to decide whether an arrest warrant should be issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid the Israel–Hamas war.
George and Amal Clooney skip Joe Biden's star-studded dinner
From Sean Pean and country music star Brad Paisley to the Clintons and Barack Obama everyone marked their presence at the grand event. Former Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, and billionaire philanthropist Melinda Gates were also reportedly among the attendees.
However, the star couple were not seen at the event after Amal announced that she was part of a committee of international legal experts tasked with evaluating evidence of suspected war crimes committed by Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Amal Clooney supports Benjamin Netanyahu's arrest
In a statement, the human rights lawyer said, “More than four months ago, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court asked me to assist him with evaluating evidence of suspected war crimes and crimes against humanity in Israel and Gaza.”
She continued, “I agreed and joined a panel of international legal experts to undertake this task. Together we have engaged in an extensive process of evidence review and legal analysis including at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
“We unanimously conclude that there are reasonable grounds to believe that Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, including hostage-taking, murder, and crimes of sexual violence.”
Accusing Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant of “war crimes and crimes against humanity,” Amal added, “I support the historic step that the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has taken to bring justice to victims of atrocities in Israel and Palestine.”
Joe Biden rebukes Amal Clooney's 'outrageous' decision
But the US commander-in-chief called out the decision “outrageous” in a statement, reported by The Guardian, as he asserted, “Whatever this prosecutor might imply, there is no equivalence – none – between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security.”
Meanwhile, Amal’s actor husband Geroge has always been a supporter of Biden and was expected to be a part of a June fundraiser. However, it’s not clear yet if he will still attend it after the controversy.
