Israeli officials slam ICC’s decision to open formal war crimes probe
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that the ICC’s decision to open a formal investigation into Israeli war crimes in occupied Palestinian territories is “pure antisemitism.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
"The decision of the International Court to open an investigation against Israel today for war crimes is absurd. It's undiluted antisemitism and the height of hypocrisy. pic.twitter.com/vGS7AX7SfN— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) March 3, 2021
“The biased International Criminal Court in The Hague reached a decision that is pure antisemitism,” Netanyahu said.
“It decided that our brave and moral soldiers that fight against the cruel terrorists are the terrorists,” he continued. “It decided that when we build a house in our eternal capital, Jerusalem, it is a war crime.”
Israeli president Reuven Rivlin called the decision a “scandalous” decision and added that Israel is “proud of its soldiers, our sons and daughters… who keep watch over their land.”
Rivlin said, “We will all be on guard to ensure they will not be harmed due to this decision.”
The decision of the International Criminal Court at the Hague to commence investigations against the State of Israel is scandalous.
We will not accept claims against the exercise of our right and our obligation to defend our citizens.
— Reuven Rivlin (@PresidentRuvi) March 3, 2021
Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said the ruling is a political attempt by ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to “try and set priorities” for her incoming successor, Karim Khan.
“The decision by the ICC chief prosecutor to open an investigation is an act of moral and legal bankruptcy. It is a political decision that turns the court into a tool in the hands of extremists who back terrorist organizations and antisemitic bodies,” he said.
1/3
The decision by the ICC chief prosecutor to open an investigation is an act of moral and legal bankruptcy.
It is a political decision that turns the court into a tool in the hands of extremists who back terrorist organizations and antisemitic bodies.— גבי אשכנזי – Gabi Ashkenazi (@Gabi_Ashkenazi) March 3, 2021
New Hope head Gideon Sa’ar called the decision “despicable.”
He said, “The ICC has allowed itself to be hijacked by sponsors of terror. This is a shameful day for the cause of justice. A government led by me will work with our allies and friends around the world to defend our moral army, and brave soldiers who risk their lives to keep us safe.”
The ICC has allowed itself to be hijacked by sponsors of terror. This is a shameful day for the cause of justice. A government led by me will work with our allies and friends around the world to defend our moral army, and brave soldiers who risk their lives to keep us safe.
— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) March 3, 2021
Yisrael Beytenu head Avigdor Liberman slammed the ICC decision as “hypocritical and antisemitic.”
Calling it “a predetermined game,” he complained that instead of the ICC looking into the actions of Syrian President Bashar Assad, “the right of Israel to defend itself is being challenged.”
החלטה הזויה של בית הדין בהאג, שזועקת צביעות ואנטישמיות. משחק מכור מראש. במקום לחקור את מעשיו של אסאד בסוריה או חמאס בעזה מערערים על זכותה של מדינת ישראל להגן על עצמה. pic.twitter.com/UfqqUOrkUA
— אביגדור ליברמן (@AvigdorLiberman) March 3, 2021
Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin called the ICC ruling “hypocritical” and said it is “antisemitism in every sense.”
“While many countries are serial violators of human rights, the court opted to investigate Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East,” he added.
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Fatou Bensouda said on Wednesday that she launched a formal probe into war crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories.
“The investigation will cover crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court that are alleged to have been committed in the Situation since 13 June 2014, the date to which reference is made in the Referral of the Situation to my Office,” she added.
The prosecutor said that the Office will determine the “priorities concerning the investigation in due time, “in light of the operational challenges the office confronts from COVID-19, and the limited resources available to the office, and the current heavy workload.
“Such challenges, however, as daunting and complex as they are, cannot divert us from ultimately discharging the responsibilities that the Rome Statute places upon the Office,” stated Bensouda.
