The International Criminal Court (the ICC) reminds me of a movie monster that, despite being killed, simply won’t stay dead. After repeated efforts to investigate Israel’s purported “war crimes” and “human rights abuses”, ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda declared that she will not be rushed into investigating Israel.
Yet here we are again. The monster has raised its head and we are entering yet another absurd round, or maybe it’s simply a continuation of an investigation into something that the ICC seems to have decided the outcome already. Last week Israel received a formal letter from the ICC informing it of the war crimes probe against it.
The report said the one-and-a-half page letter briefly laid out the three main areas the probe intends to cover: the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas; Israeli settlement policy; and the 2018 Great March of Return protests, a series of violent demonstrations along Gaza’s border with Israel that left dozens of Palestinians dead.
…
Israel has 30 days to respond, the report said, adding that Jerusalem is leaning toward doing so after largely refusing to cooperate with The Hague-based international court until now. However, Israel is expected to use its response as an opportunity to once again voice the argument that the ICC has no jurisdiction to hear the case.
Israeli officials hope the argument over jurisdiction will succeed in delaying the case until outgoing ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda is replaced in June by British lawmaker Karim Khan, whom Jerusalem hopes may be less hostile or may even cancel the probe.
Yeah, I wouldn’t hold my breath. I have no faith at all in these institutions.
Outrageously, the probe will only examine events AFTER the kidnapping of the three teenagers, which was the trigger for the 2014 war. This on its own reveals the bias and hypocrisy of the ICC, not to mention the Palestinians. the kidnap and murder of three Israeli teens is not counted as a war crime, yet Israel’s desperate search for these boys is considered a war crime.
Israeli observers noted the significance of the timing of the investigation’s span: On June 12, 2014, Hamas terrorists kidnapped and murdered three Israeli teenagers in the Gush Etzion area of the West Bank. Bensouda’s investigation — based on the request submitted by the so-called State of Palestine — is set to begin from the following day.
The brutal terror attack, which horrified Israelis and drew international condemnation, was a pivotal moment in the lead-up to the fighting in Gaza later that summer. With the investigation set to consider events beginning on June 13, 2014, the crime could be excluded from the court’s investigation.
It’s enough to make you sick.
For Israel’s point of view, watch this excellent video by StandWithUs which takes a look at the ICC’s decision to probe Israel:
Hillel Neuer of UN Watch brought Arab-Israeli activist Yoseph Hadad to counter the charges insinuated in the ICC’s probe and also to counter the annual onslaught in the UN against Israel with their accusations of war crimes, apartheid, and the added charge this year of discrimination by Israel of Palestinians by denying them Covid vaccinations. Listen to Yoseph as he demolishes these abominable arguments:
As Pesach is approaching (starting Saturday night) it would serve us well for us to note the paragraph we read in the Haggadah at the Seder:
“For in every generation they rise up to destroy us, but the Lord blessed be He saves us from their hand”.
Anne's Opinions 
I want to begin by wishing you and yours a Chag Sameach.
On another note, the main signatories of the Rome Statutes (Israel and the US are not members) already told the ICC that this investigation is a violation of its bylaws. Not that they listened of course, good old fashioned antisemitism and left wing politics at play.
An interesting point was actually made recently about this investigation: if the ICC now says that the PA is now the State of Palestine, do they not have the responsibilities of a State? PS the ICC also they never actually defined Palestine. What are its borders, its government, its laws? I suspect that Hamas is not particularly pleased at the moment, to not be considered the government of Palestine especially since in reality they did win the last election especially in Gaza.
Since it is obvious that Israel is vaccinating all of its citizens, the new nonsense that the haters are trying to peddle, is that Israel is responsible for vaccinating the Palestinians.
How is this State of Palestine not responsible for getting the vaccine to their citizens? Why is it Israel’s responsibility? Palestine is either a state or it is not a state.
So the left now says that the State of Palestine is incapable of procuring the COVID vaccine for their citizens. What could be their reasoning? Oh they dont have any money because the mean west cut off UNRWA funding. But Palestine had enough to pay $450 million to murders of Jews, buy Abbas a $50 million plane and build him a $14 million house-never mind all the billions in graft stolen from the average palestinian.
How is it not racist to deny the Government of the State of Palestine the agency to take care of their own countrymen? Not a one of them can answer that question.
That white-man’s burden sure seems to raise its ugly evil head when convenient for those on the illiberal left.
When you list it all like that, my head is positively spinning! And these are facts that I am aware of. I wonder if these inconvenient facts make a dent in the boneheads of the UN and their sycophants? Not to mention the “pro-Palestinian” activists, who are more anti-Israel than pro-anything else.
Thank you also for your Pesach wishes. I hope to post something before Pesach – elections and Pesach cleaning permitting!
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The ICC: A court that consults with Palestinian terrorists
How the International Court Colludes with Terror-linked NGOs to Target Israel
https://unitedwithisrael.org/how-the-international-court-colludes-with-terror-linked-ngos-to-target-israel/
Fatou Bensouda was Justice Minister for Gambian Dictator Yahya Jammeh, whose crimes involve murder and rape. Witnesses detail how Fatou was responsible for helping Yahya carry out his crimes. She should be put on trial for abetting Jammeh and his crimes.
https://www.justiceinfo.net/en/41906-will-fatou-bensouda-face-the-truth-commission-trrc-gambia.html
Fatou Bensouda refused to prosecute China for putting Uighur’s in concentration camps.
https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/voa-news-china/icc-rejects-uighur-plea-investigation-china
Fatou Bensouda comes from a 95% Muslim populated country, the Republic of Gambia. A country so progressive that it hands down life sentences for “Aggravated Homosexuality”.
Yes. Absolutely right.
Great video refuting ICC
https://mobile.twitter.com/israel_advocacy/status/1370039447220334603
Thank you Dan for this excellent video. I might add it to my article.
An excellent post as always. Thank you.
My question here is,that although the ICC have no jurisdiction, and yes they are ridiculously antisemitic and one sided against Israel, wouldn’t it be good for Israel to answer all the points made by the ICC,refute them,then say we refuse to continue to have anything to do with a kangaroo court?
This has been considered many times in the past and the conclusion that was reached was that it’s not in Israel‘s interest to refute the charges because they will always find something else to make up and use against us. Furthermore they, the UN and its friends are likely to take anything that Israel says in evidence to be used against it. In other words they will twist her words, it’s just not worth the effort. And by refusing to cooperate it makes a point for us. Cooperating would also set a dangerous precedent.
I agree. There is never any sense in addressing a kangaroo court, especially any body having anything to do with the erstwhile United Nations, a misnomer if there ever was one. Appeasement (or “Oppeasement” as was the case under Barry before, and will probably be the case now as well) never ever produces victory, ever. Antisemitism is rife globally, and there is no longer a strong hand (or for that matter, it seems any hand) at the helm of the US, so all bets seem off. There has never been a greater risk of the US joining the ICC, or Iran having a field day, since the anti-Israel lobby is prevalent in this Alice in Wonderland administration here. I pray for Israel minute by minute, tirelessly oppose every instance of betrayal of Israel, and always keep in mind that Never Again means never. The haters may have a big megaphone, but their treacherous betrayal disgusts most of us. One of the great tragedies is that the number of highly liberal American Jews who agree with this garbage is absolutely horrifying. Thank you Anne for always pointing the way with courageous, articulate and erudite writing. It is truly inspirational here.
Thank you Lee. I greatly appreciate your compliments but I can’t really take credit, I just find the relevant items and publish them.
I agree with you completely that the Biden administration looks set to undo all the good things that Trump did, and worse, to reimplement all the disastrous policies of Obama. It is blindingly obvious that the Iranians and the Palestinians are already celebrating by upping their demands or simply taking bolder action – with hardly a response from the West.
I agree also with your mystification at the political proclivities of so many liberal Jews. It seems that liberalism is their new religion instead of Judaism.
Israel is caught in a typical dilemma here: do nothing, because (and many others have said this, including the Canadian Government as an “amicus curia”) the ICC has no jurisdiction over Israel as a non-signatory to the original document, and the risk is that Israel will be found guilty and prominent citizens will be put at risk should they travel abroad. “Defend” the case and by so doing Israel acknowledges the right of the ICC to investigate these non-issues. With no guarantee that the usual rules of the court-room will be observed.
However, I suspect that there might be a “political” solution to this dilemma for Israel: get its friends who are signatories to act as proxies for Israel, making it clear that the position in the paragraph above is what should rule: the ICC has no jurisdiction. If Bensouda tries to dismiss these arguments, they should (or their governments should) withdraw their financial support for the ICC.
Lack of funds to operate should concentrate minds wonderfully. Or those who are enemies of Israel will have to pay up to keep the ICC going.
They won’t like that one little bit.
Good idea. I hope the powers that be are taking your advice on board.
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