(JNS-Israel Hayom) Prof. Avi Bell - Fatou Bensouda, the ICC's chief prosecutor, has already adopted doubtful legal arguments made by the Palestinians that: The PLO comprises a state; all parts of Israel that were under illegal occupation by Jordan and Egypt from 1948-1967 - including the Old City of Jerusalem - belong to the state of Palestine; Jewish settlements are an international crime; and IDF soldiers are war criminals. Therefore, we already know what the results of the "investigation" will be. Meanwhile, the many crimes by the Palestinians, from torture to acts of terrorism and the intent to commit genocide, are not considered enough of a basis for the ICC prosecution to launch an investigation. As long as Israel continues to treat the ICC as a legal entity under the assumption that their intentions are good, and as long as Israel continues to make legal arguments as if anyone in the ICC is listening, it will continue to lose the battle. We must take more stringent political steps, like the U.S. already has, before the nightmare of indictments against IDF soldiers becomes a reality. The writer is a lecturer at the University of San Diego School of Law and at Bar-Ilan University's Faculty of Law.
2019-12-25 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive