Israel has formally notified the International Criminal Court that it does not recognize its authority. “It will be made clear that Israel is a country with rule of law that knows how to investigate itself,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. “The response will also say Israel ‘completely rejects’ the assertion that it was carrying out any war crimes.”
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Fatouh Bensouda, has indicated since 2019 that she intended to launch an investigation of Israel for supposed war crimes, even though the ICC had absolutely no legal jurisdiction nor standing to do so. Bensouda lived up to her promise in mid February, with her ruling that the court has jurisdiction to open a war crimes investigation into Israel, a decision that Netanyahu called “pure anti-Semitism.”
A month later, Palestinian Media Watch exposed collusion between the Palestinian Authority and the International Criminal Court, which further demonstrated the political agenda behind the ICC’s decision.
“Israel to tell ICC it does not recognise court’s authority,” by Dan Williams, Reuters, April 8, 2021:
JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel will tell the International Criminal Court it does not recognise the authority of the tribunal, which is planning to investigate possible war crimes in the Palestinian territories, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday.
Netanyahu, after meeting with senior ministers and government officials ahead of a Friday deadline to respond to an ICC notification letter, said Israel would not cooperate with the inquiry, but it will send a response.
“It will be made clear that Israel is a country with rule of law that knows how to investigate itself,” he said in a statement. The response will also say Israel “completely rejects” the assertion that it was carrying out any war crimes.
Israel is not a party to the Rome Statute that established the ICC and therefore by definition not a party to the court.
ICC prosecutors, who named groups on both the Israeli and Palestinian sides as possible perpetrators, said letters had been sent on March 9 to all parties concerned, giving them a month to inform the court if they were conducting their own investigations of the alleged crimes and want an ICC inquiry deferred while that is ongoing.
The Palestinians said they would cooperate with the ICC, whose inquiry pertains to alleged war crimes in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and in the Gaza Strip, where Palestinian Islamists took control after Israel withdrew in 2005.
“We sent the response to the ICC,” said Omar Awadallah, a senior official in the Palestinian Foreign Ministry.
“Full cooperation with the ICC will continue from the State of Palestine, as a member state of the court, to achieve justice for the victims of the Palestinian people and hold Israel accountable for its crimes,” Awadallah said…..
Frank Anderson says
I can dream: I would love to see a number of ICC people of all organizational levels and functions in Israeli jails for violating the law. Attempting to enforce rules that flatly and clearly do not apply is a fraud, which should be punishable as any other fraud under the law.
What next? The ICC will want to investigate and charge me, a US citizen, living in the US for contempt because I call their criminal fraud what it is? Go for it. I think the judges where I live would be jailing the ICC representatives here for the same fraud and violation of US law.
Please consult a currently licensed attorney practicing in your jurisdiction for any legal advice.
mortimer says
The ICC grew out of Nuremberg’s Tribunial which proposed that the Nazis had unlawfully seized power and exercised it as a criminal conspiracy against the German people. There is merit to that argument applied to the Nazis, but that argument doesn’t apply to Israel’s duly elected, representative government. Israel has a complete and independent legal system, unlike many of Israel’s Muslim neighbors in which law is a means of implementing policy, rather than being truly independent.. The ICC is intended to try rogue governments that refuse the rule of law.
Ironically, the ICC’s true purpose is being perverted by fascistic governments that have perverted legal systems run by their rogue governments.
Frank Anderson says
mortimer i am familiar with the genesis of the ICC. As with many things the way they start has NOTHING to do with the way they finish. When corruption and perversion take charge it is time to finish and try something else. If Israel cannot defend itself from openly proclaimed intentions AND ACTIONS to destroy it and kill every Jew, then the ICC has followed the EU lead in ending the basic right of civilizations for all time: that of self defense. Self defense is now a crime in most countries today regardless of the crime being resisted. Screw that perversion of “law” and the mindless evil tyrants who wish to abuse it.
Think of the crime of self defense in Nazi Germany. What would have been done to a Jew resisting Storm Troopers, if the Jew survived long enough to reach a court room? Where were the “police” then? They were helping the Storm Troopers. Now the ICC wants to help the murderous terrorists. That constitutes a Conspiracy, an agreement, of 2 or more persons, for an unlawful purpose or to use unlawful means for an otherwise lawful purpose, and any act by any one of the members in furtherance of the goal. “The knowledge of one is the knowledge of all; The acts of one are the acts of all.” It is not necessary that all of the members know all the details. It is not required that a formal written contract be shown. All that is necessary to convict a conspirator is to show that at any stage, any time, that person joined and acted in furtherance of the goals. READ the case from the Southern District of Alabama, “United States v. Gary Greenough”, by searching the whole title. It is free and available today on the internet. I assure you I would have no reluctance to present this argument if the ICC wants to see what it can do in the US.
When self defense is limited to calling the police who arrive in time to collect the bodes, take pictures and fool around “collecting evidence” only to arrest and release the killers, the law has gone too far in the wrong direction. As long as humans have lived in communities, until now, there has been recognized a basic right AND DUTY of self defense and defense of third persons.
gravenimage says
Agreed, Frank.
Jim J Fox says
Asked in a 2011 interview, given in honor of her becoming the ICC’s chief prosecutor, if her religion plays any role in helping her carry out her new duties, she replied: “Absolutely, definitely. Islam, as you know, is a religion of peace, and it gives you this inner strength, this inner ability and a sense of justice. Together with my experience, this will help a lot.”
No surprise here.
gravenimage says
Thanks for that nasty bit of information, Jim. That would be the nasty Fatou Bensouda. She has never brought any charges against the murderous PA–but then, why would she?
She describes her polygamous family as “loving”, despite polygamy abusing women. She has said that polygamy “works extraordinarily well”, and is indicative of her father’s “inherent sense of fairness”, which is very disturbing.
Monumental says
Fantastic to see Israel to stand up to outrageous bullying on the part of the ICC who are mostly ideologically opposed to Israels existence in any case and will work tirelessly to bring her down.
Infidel says
No country in its right mind should go along w/ this. In fact, we need to start dismantling the UN and all its associated bodies. That’s one of Trump’s failures – he took the UN too seriously by sending Nicky Haley there, and not removing them from NYC. Although now, w/ everyone fleeing NY, maybe there’s a case to be made for letting the UN remain there and get regulated by Billy D and Andy
gravenimage says
Israel to International Criminal Court: It is ‘a country with rule of law,’ does not recognize ICC’s authority
…………..
Good for Israel!
Rima Lagis says
She, bensoudA, Got a antisemitism sense. Her compass show just one way: Antisemitism which means much more: anti Israel. She is calling/collaborating the world, Arab/Muslim and other, against Israel. This means that she feels some superior feelings against Israel. This is actually inferiority feeling. She feels that all her cadency time she failed to dictate her ideology on the court. Now, at the end of her service period she is trying to punish Israel. this will not work as we have too much excuses/reasons that will justify our policy and way of behave.
So, she will leave her position before the time due to start the investigation and her decision will die a natural death.