Posted on 02/05/21
| News Source: Arutz-7
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Friday denounced the International Criminal Court (ICC) ruling that it has jurisdiction over Palestinian Authority-assigned territories, paving the way for a probe of alleged Israeli “war crimes” in these areas.
"Today the court proved once again that it is a political body and not a judicial institution. The court ignores the real war crimes and instead pursues the State of Israel, a state with a strong democratic regime, which sanctifies the rule of law, and is not a member of the tribunal,” said Netanyahu.
“In this ruling, the tribunal violated the right of democracies to defend themselves against terrorism, and played into the hands of those who undermine efforts to expand the circle of peace,” he continued.
“We will continue to protect our citizens and soldiers in every way from legal persecution,” concluded Netanyahu.
Join BJL on WhatsApp Status: Click here to Join BJL status for engagements, births, deals, levayos, events & more
Join BJL on WhatsApp Groups: Click here to Join an official BJL WhatsApp group for breaking news as it happens
The statement came after a three-panel judge at the ICC ruled that Judea, Samaria, Gaza and eastern Jerusalem are within the jurisdiction of the court.
In a press release, the ICC said that the judges ruled that "the Court's territorial jurisdiction in the Situation in Palestine, a State party to the ICC Rome Statute, extends to the territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.”
The ICC’s chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, announced in late 2019 that she intends to open a full investigation into alleged Israeli “war crimes”, but before opening a full probe, asked the ICC to rule on the territory over which it has jurisdiction because of the "unique and highly contested legal and factual issues attaching to this situation." Read more at Arutz-7