US SAYS ICC HAS NO JURISDICTION ON ISRAEL’S WAR ON GAZA

Mon 29 April 2024:

A US State Department spokesman said the ICC has no jurisdiction over Israel’s war on Gaza.

“Since this president has come into office, we have worked to reset our relationship with the ICC and we are in contact with the court on a range of issues, including in connection to the court’s important work on Darfur, on Ukraine, on Sudan as well,” Vedant Patel said.

“But on this investigation, our position is clear. We continue to believe that the ICC does not have jurisdiction over the Palestinian situation.”

Israel is not a member of the ICC and does not recognise its jurisdiction, but the Palestinian territories were admitted with the status of a member state in 2015.

In October, ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan said the court had jurisdiction over any potential war crimes committed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip.

“The ICC is an independent organisation and their efforts are being undertaken without any contact or interference by the US,” US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters on Monday.

The US – Israel’s closest ally – is also not a member of the court. A White House spokesperson said later on Monday that “the ICC has no jurisdiction in this situation, and we do not support its investigation”.

Earlier, Spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said Washington “has been very clear” that it does not support the ICC’s ongoing investigation into both the Hamas-led Oct. 7 cross-border attack on Israel, and Israel’s retaliatory military offensive on the besieged Gaza Strip.

“We’ve been really clear about the ICC investigation. We do not support it. We don’t believe that they have the jurisdiction, and I’m just gonna leave it there for now,” she told reporters.

Media reports that began circulating on Saturday said Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi could soon face ICC arrest warrants.

“Where is [U.S. President Joe] Biden? Why is he quiet while Israel will potentially be thrown under the bus?” an Israeli diplomatic source told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.

The ICC for its part has not publicly commented on the potential warrants.

Israel and the U.S. are not members of the ICC and do not recognize its jurisdiction. Palestine was admitted as a member of The Hague-based court in 2015.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry earlier instructed its embassies worldwide to be prepared for potential repercussions if the ICC issues arrest warrants against Israeli officials for war crimes and human rights violations in Gaza.

Israel has waged a sweeping offensive on the Palestinian enclave since a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, which killed nearly 1,200 people.

Nearly 34,500 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 77,60 others have been injured amid mass destruction and severe shortages of necessities.

Separately from the ICC probe, Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.