The United States has joined Israel in condemning a decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to open a preliminary probe into possible war crimes committed against Palestinians, describing the move as a tragic irony. The US criticised the decision late on Friday, saying it opposed actions against its ally Israel as counterproductive to the cause of peace. It is a tragic irony that Israel, which has withstood thousands of terrorist rockets fired at its civilians and its neighbourhoods, is now being scrutinised by the ICC, Jeff Rathke, the US State department spokesman, said in a statement. US condemnation came shortly after Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, derided the ICCs decision, calling it scandalous and absurd. Nabil Shaath, a senior Palestinian official and advisor to President Mahmoud Abbas, told Al Jazeera the Palestinians were prepared for any outcome by the ICC. We want to put pressure on Israel that has been murdering our people, occupying our land, stealing our water and destroying Gaza, he said. This occupation by Israel has to end, negotiations chaperoned by America have not been successful, on the contrary, we have failed, and now we have to go through the international arena. Human rights group Amnesty International, welcomed the ICCs announcement, saying it could pave the way for thousands of victims of crimes under international law to gain access to justice. While 123 countries have ratified the Rome Statute, that makes member countiries unaccountable to the ICC, Israel and the US are not party to the court. The ICC, based in The Hague in the Netherlands, will open a preliminary inquiry into the possible war crimes committed in the Palestinian territories, and determine whether its findings merit a full investigation. The outcome could result in charges against individuals on either the Israeli or Palestinian side. Israel is not an ICC member, but its citizens could be tried on accusations of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Read more aat; aljazeera/news/middleeast/2015/01/us-israel-criticise-icc-war-crimes-probe-2015117114137630910.html
Posted on: Sat, 17 Jan 2015 12:41:16 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015