Kamala Harris signed letter against ICC decision to probe ‘Israel’ for war crimes

Washington (QNN)- US Vice President Kamala Harris signed a letter when she was a senator last year, stating that “the US should stand in full force” against the International Criminal Court’s decision to probe ‘Israel’ for war crimes.

The letter was sent last May to then-secretary of state Mike Pompeo urging him to “stand in full force against any biased investigation of Israel” by the ICC.

The letter was sent six months after the ICC’s chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, said in 2019 that there was a reasonable basis to open a war crimes probe into Israeli war crimes against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip as well as Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank.

“I am satisfied that there is a reasonable basis to proceed with an investigation into the situation in Palestine,” Fatou Bensouda said in 2019.

“In brief, I am satisfied that war crimes have been or are being committed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.”

However, she asked the court to determine whether she has territorial jurisdiction before proceeding with the case.

The leading signatories of the letter were Senators Ben Cardin, Rob Portman, and 67 other senators, including Harris.

That announcement “constitutes a dangerous politicization of the Court and distorts the purposes for which the court was established,” the senators wrote in the letter.

“ICC actions currently underway could lead to the prosecution of Israeli nationals despite the fact the ICC does not enjoy legitimate jurisdiction in this case,” the letter reads.

“Both Democratic and Republican administrations have refused to join the Court in part because they feared its politicization and misuse.”

“By accepting Palestinian territorial claims over the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza, the Prosecutor is making a political judgment that biases any subsequent investigation or trial,” the letter states.

“Establishing the boundaries of any future Palestinian state is a political decision that must be determined through negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Any ICC determination regarding its jurisdiction over the disputed territories or investigation of Israel would further hinder the path to peace.”

The International Criminal Court said last Friday that its jurisdiction extends to territories occupied by ‘Israel’ in the 1967 war, clearing the way for its chief prosecutor to open a war crimes probe into Israeli war crimes.

“The Court’s territorial jurisdiction in the Situation in Palestine … extends to the territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem,” the judges said.

Following the announcement, the US Department of State said that the US objects to the determination by a pretrial chamber of the International Criminal Court that The Hague has jurisdiction to open a criminal investigation into ‘Israel’ for war crimes.

“The United States objects to today’s International Criminal Court decision regarding the Palestinian situation. Israel is not a State Party to the Rome Statute,” tweeted State Department spokesperson Ned Price.

Prices added, “We will continue to uphold President Biden’s strong commitment to Israel and its security, including opposing actions that seek to target Israel unfairly.”

The United States objects to today’s @IntlCrimCourt decision regarding the Palestinian situation. Israel is not a State Party to the Rome Statute.

— Ned Price (@StateDeptSPOX) February 6, 2021

The State Department also said in a formal statement, “We have serious concerns about the ICC’s attempts to exercise its jurisdiction over Israeli personnel. The United States has always taken the position that the court’s jurisdiction should be reserved for countries that consent to it, or that are referred by the UN Security Council.”