Israel hopes Germany, other ICC members will help stave off Palestinian investigation

By Dan Williams and Stephanie van den Berg

 

FILE PHOTO: Public Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda attends the trial for Malian Islamist militant Al-Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud at the ICC (International Criminal Court) in the Hague, the Netherlands July 8,2019. REUTERS/Eva Plevier/Pool

 

JERUSALEM/THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Israel's prime minister on Sunday hailed what he called efforts by friendly states to stop the International Criminal Court opening an investigation into alleged war crimes against Palestinians.

 

The court's chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said in December there was enough evidence for an investigation into thousands of killings - but asked the court to rule on whether it had the jurisdiction over the Palestinian territories.

 

Brazil, Hungary, Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic and Australia have asked the court over the past two weeks to let them file "amicus brief" opinions on the case, ICC records show.

 

Some, including Germany, said they would argue the court's jurisdiction did not extend to the Palestinian territories.

 

Brazil said it would argue that the Israeli-Palestinian crisis should be resolved through political dialogue, not a court ruling.

 

Netanyahu told his cabinet countries had responded to Israeli lobbying over the case.

 

"We are struggling against this (proceeding) and, at our side, I must say, are many friends around the world (which) joined the U.S. in a steadfast stand alongside Israel."

 

The Palestinians were accepted as an ICC member in 2015 after they signed the court's founding Rome Statute, based on their United Nations "observer state" status.

 

Israel and the United States, neither of them ICC members, dispute the court's jurisdiction in the absence of a sovereign Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza or East Jerusalem.

 

The Organisation for Islamic Cooperation, representing 57 Muslim states, asked to file a brief, arguing that the Palestinians have sovereignty over the Palestinian territories.

 

The Palestinian Bar Association, the International Commission of Jurists and other legal and human rights organisation have also asked to filed briefs with the court to say it does have jurisdiction in this case.

 

U.S.-sponsored Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking stalled in 2014. A new U.S. peace plan, unveiled by President Donald Trump last month, envisaged Israel keeping East Jerusalem and swathes of West Bank land, and was rejected by the Palestinians.

 

(Editing by Andrew Heavens)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-02-17

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15 minutes ago, webfact said:

Brazil said it would argue that the Israeli-Palestinian crisis should be resolved through political dialogue,

The historical record of Israeli-Palestinian political dialogue so far would suggest that this is not the case. 

Edited February 17, 20206 yr by Bluespunk

Israel is an absolute bully. You would think that after their experience in Germany  75 - 80 years ago that they would have compassion for oppressed people.

 

Just now, Trentham said:

Israel is an absolute bully. You would think that after their experience in Germany  75 - 80 years ago that they would have compassion for oppressed people.

 

Compassion for people who want to inflict another Holocaust  on them ?

It happened once, they wont let it happen again 

23 minutes ago, Trentham said:

Israel is an absolute bully. You would think that after their experience in Germany  75 - 80 years ago that they would have compassion for oppressed people.

 

Do you know the saying about the victim becoming a culprit? Further, if, as Israel maintains, no war crimes have been committed, why is it so much against an investigation????

23 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Compassion for people who want to inflict another Holocaust  on them ?

It happened once, they wont let it happen again 

But they are allowed to do whatever they want, subjugate millions, break international norms and laws, and if anybody dares criticize them, that person or body is antisemitic. Right????

AS some have already said. It is shocking that Israelis who went through a holocaust are now inflicting such oppression on the Palestinians. Investigate them and tell the world of their crimes.

1 minute ago, abrahamzvi said:

But they are allowed to do whatever they want, subjugate millions, break international norms and laws, and if anybody dares criticize them, that person or body is antisemitic. Right????

Yes, thats correct .

I do believe that there was a massacre in Africa last week and theres been atrocities in Yemen , Rohinga been massacred in Myanmar .

  Lets all ignore that and try to get Israel prosecuted on Trumped up charges .

So, yes, can be classed as antisemitism when you only focus on a Jewish state  and unconcerned  about anywhere else 

  Do spare me the usual *I am concerned about other Countries  as well*

2 minutes ago, Pedrogaz said:

AS some have already said. It is shocking that Israelis who went through a holocaust are now inflicting such oppression on the Palestinians. Investigate them and tell the world of their crimes.

How about the Chinese oppression of their Uigar Muslims ?

Should every Country be investigated or just Israel ?

11 minutes ago, abrahamzvi said:

Do you know the saying about the victim becoming a culprit? Further, if, as Israel maintains, no war crimes have been committed, why is it so much against an investigation????

When I saw your name before reading your post I thought you were going to fight me. ha ha.

3 minutes ago, sanemax said:

How about the Chinese oppression of their Uigar Muslims ?

Should every Country be investigated or just Israel ?

i'm not concerned about whataboutism.  i'm concerned about what MY country is responsible for.

 

i'm concerned that my tax dollars are going to support an apartheid regime with an illicit nukular weapons program, guilty of ethnic cleansing, torture, cyberwarfare, extrajudicial assasinations, etc.

 

i'm concerned that what little respect my country still has internationally is squandered on protecting this regime with our united nations veto.

*Awaiting Dexter to mention colonialism and apartheid *

3 minutes ago, ChouDoufu said:

i'm not concerned about whataboutism.  i'm concerned about what MY country is responsible for.

 

i'm concerned that my tax dollars are going to support an apartheid regime with an illicit nukular weapons program, guilty of ethnic cleansing, torture, cyberwarfare, extrajudicial assasinations, etc.

 

i'm concerned that what little respect my country still has internationally is squandered on protecting this regime with our united nations veto.

 Well said. ChouDouFu for Israeli prime minister. He'd get my vote.

1 minute ago, ChouDoufu said:

i'm not concerned about whataboutism.  i'm concerned about what MY country is responsible for.

 

 

Removing Saddam from power and causing the region to go up in flames for one .

Carpet bombing and agent orange attacks on Laos and Vietnam for two .

Not helping the UK fight the Nazis until Pearl harbour got attacked  

Need I go on ?

6 minutes ago, ChouDoufu said:

i'm not concerned about whataboutism.  i'm concerned about what MY country is responsible for.

 

i'm concerned that my tax dollars are going to support an apartheid regime with an illicit nukular weapons program, guilty of ethnic cleansing, torture, cyberwarfare, extrajudicial assasinations, etc.

 

i'm concerned that what little respect my country still has internationally is squandered on protecting this regime with our united nations veto.

When the USA assassinated that Iranian guy last month , did you get legal permission first ?

52 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Compassion for people who want to inflict another Holocaust  on them ?

It happened once, they wont let it happen again 

This is a load of compost. Israel is illegally occupying Palestinian lands, pretty much the entire world agrees with this with the exception of Israel and its butt-kissing acolytes. What they are doing to the Palestinians is as bad or worse than what the Nazis did to Jews for the simple reason they know better through experience. 

10 minutes ago, ChouDoufu said:

i'm concerned that my tax dollars are going

74 % of aid given to Israel by the USA MUST be spent on USA products , so most of your tax $ are going straight back to the USA 

2 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Removing Saddam from power and causing the region to go up in flames for one .

Carpet bombing and agent orange attacks on Laos and Vietnam for two .

Not helping the UK fight the Nazis until Pearl harbour got attacked  

Need I go on ?

why should you need to go on?  i'm very much critical of my government. 

 

why i'd even include my government's refusal to recognize the new government of cambodia, leaving the voting seat with the khmer rouge for 14 additional years.  and of course our involvement in libya and syria, and the sanctions on iran, and the supplying of chemical weapons technology to iraq.

 

you equate criticism of israel with antisemitism.  it's not, it's anti-fascism.  our support of israel is pretty much standard, as we typically support brutal dictators and oppressive regimes whenever it serves our purposes.

1 minute ago, Cereal said:

This is a load of compost. Israel is illegally occupying Palestinian lands, pretty much the entire world agrees with this with the exception of Israel and its butt-kissing acolytes. What they are doing to the Palestinians is as bad or worse than what the Nazis did to Jews for the simple reason they know better through experience. 

They are not Palestinian lands , previously they belonged to Jordan , before that the  UK and before that they were part of the Ottoman empire for 400 years , NEVER been Palestinian 

55 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Yes, thats correct .

I do believe that there was a massacre in Africa last week and theres been atrocities in Yemen , Rohinga been massacred in Myanmar .

  Lets all ignore that and try to get Israel prosecuted on Trumped up charges .

So, yes, can be classed as antisemitism when you only focus on a Jewish state  and unconcerned  about anywhere else 

  Do spare me the usual *I am concerned about other Countries  as well*

Except that what your assumptions are not true as concerns the ICC, despite obvious limitations to its scope of jurisdiction.

ICC judges authorise opening of an investigation into the situation in Bangladesh/Myanmar

https://www.icc-cpi.int/Pages/item.aspx?name=pr1495

It can be also noticed that a lot of cases so far were about Africa and involved Muslim perpetrators.

https://www.icc-cpi.int/cases

Edited February 17, 20206 yr by candide

59 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Yes, thats correct .

I do believe that there was a massacre in Africa last week and theres been atrocities in Yemen , Rohinga been massacred in Myanmar .

  Lets all ignore that and try to get Israel prosecuted on Trumped up charges .

So, yes, can be classed as antisemitism when you only focus on a Jewish state  and unconcerned  about anywhere else 

  Do spare me the usual *I am concerned about other Countries  as well*

The atrocities you mention are not being ignored.

38 minutes ago, sanemax said:

They are not Palestinian lands , previously they belonged to Jordan , before that the  UK and before that they were part of the Ottoman empire for 400 years , NEVER been Palestinian 

They are not israels land to build on. To be a country you need a border. What is israels border.

 

Or is it your position that any country can just walk in and start building where it likes. Perhaps build over the israeli settlrments.

Edited February 17, 20206 yr by Sujo

4 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

The atrocities you mention are not being ignored.

I havent noticed any threads about them here on TV

l

Just now, sanemax said:

I havent noticed any threads about them here on TV

l

You haven't noticed any threads about the Rohingya massacres and ethnic cleansing in Myanmar?

 

You haven't noticed threads on the barbaric actions being carried out in Yemen?

 

You need to read more carefully then, because there have been plenty.

 

As to the Mali atrocity you mentioned...here's a link to a thread from yesterdays TV

 

 

5 minutes ago, sanemax said:

I havent noticed any threads about them here on TV

l

If thats how you determine your view im not surprised you are ill informed.

Palestainians trying too regain what they lost in their 1948 War against Israel.

Israel, just stay within your own border.

2 hours ago, sanemax said:

How about the Chinese oppression of their Uigar Muslims ?

Should every Country be investigated or just Israel ?

Every country being accused... yes... every country.... no

1 hour ago, sanemax said:

They are not Palestinian lands , previously they belonged to Jordan , before that the  UK and before that they were part of the Ottoman empire for 400 years , NEVER been Palestinian 

And yet, Herodotus described Palestine as an area of Syria, some 2500 years ago... that Herodotus, hey? what a trickster.

1 minute ago, jany123 said:

Every country being accused... yes... every country.... no

of course not.

 

not when your country can impose sanctions on judges investigating your citizens.

not when your country can deny visas to those invited to the united nations to give testimony.

not when you can threaten the head of a united nations investigative organization with "we know where your children are."

not when you have a military with a budget greater than the next ten powers combined.

and of course, not when you have a veto in the unsc.

 

it's hard work being a beacon for freedom and democracy.