“Where do Palestinians go?” US State Dept. spokesman asked on US position toward Palestine
Washington (QNN)- US State Department spokesman Ned Price faced a grilling on Wednesday when discussing the recent International Criminal Court (ICC) decision to investigate Israeli war crimes in Palestine.
During a press briefing, Price took a question from Associated Press’ Matt Lee, who asked where the Palestinian people should go for justice and accountability if they could not rely on the ICC.
Matt Lee wouldn’t let the question go, demanding 12 times, “Where do they go?” And all the State Department spokesperson could do is talk about the two state solution and the “Jewish state.”
Lee asked at first, “Considering your position on the Palestinians now, so where – where do the – where should the Palestinians go to get accountability for what they claim to be problems? To Israeli courts? Where do they go?”
Spokesperson Price answered, “Matt, look, we – of course the United States is always going to stand up for human rights. We’re always going to stand up…”
Lee intereupted him and asked again, “Where do they go? Where do they go?
Price, “Matt, that is why I think you have —”
Lee, “Where?”
#Watch | US State Department spokesman Ned Price was cornered by AP's Matt Lee who asked about where Palestinians should go to get justice, commenting on America's objection of ICC's decision to open investigation into Israeli war crimes. pic.twitter.com/lE4eVlfWKw
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) March 6, 2021
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.
However, the US expressed its firm opposition to the prosecutor’s decision, saying “the ICC has no jurisdiction over this matter.”
Following the announcement of the ICC, Price said that the US “will continue to uphold our strong commitment to Israel and its security, including by opposing actions that seek to target Israel unfairly.”
“The ICC has no jurisdiction over this matter,” he continued. “Israel is not a party to the ICC, and it has not consented to the court’s jurisdiction. We have serious concerns about the ICC’s attempts to exercise its jurisdiction over Israeli personnel.”
He went on to say that the Palestinians do not qualify as a sovereign state, and therefore are not qualified to obtain membership at the ICC.
“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,” Price added.
“As we made clear when the Palestinians purported to join the Rome statute in 2015, we do not believe that Palestinians qualify as a sovereign state, and therefore are not qualified to obtain membership, as a state or to participate as a state in international organizations, and that includes, in the ICC.”
