Palestine condemns Boris Johnson for opposing ICC Israel investigation
April 15, 2021, 10:29 am

Palestine condemns Boris Johnson for opposing ICC Israel investigation

In his letter, Boris Johnson said ‘Israel is not a party to the Statute of Rome [that established the ICC] and Palestine is not a sovereign state’.

PM accused of giving ‘carte blanche to Israel’ by saying court had no right to examine alleged war crimes

Palestine has said relations with Britain have reached a “low point” after Boris Johnson announced that he opposed an international criminal court investigation into alleged war crimes in the Israeli-occupied territories.

The prime minister’s comments, made in a letter to the Conservative Friends of Israel lobby group in the UK, said that while his government had “respect the independence” of the court, it opposed this particular inquiry into Israel.

“This investigation gives the impression of being a partial and prejudicial attack on a friend and ally of the UK’s,” he wrote.

In a statement posted on the website of its diplomatic mission to the UK, Palestine said the letter was a “deeply regrettable” contradiction of international law and previous British policy.

“It marks a low point in UK-Palestine relations and undermines the UK’s credibility on the international stage,” it said. “It is clear that the UK now believes Israel is above the law. There is no other interpretation of a statement that gives carte blanche to Israel.”

It added: “On the one hand, Prime Minister Johnson claims to support the mission of the ICC. On the other, he seems to argue that its mission cannot extend to Israel because it is a ‘friend and an ally’ of the UK.”

The formal inquiry into alleged atrocities in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip was launched last month and is expected to cover the 2014 Gaza war, the 2018 Gaza border clashes and Israeli settlement building in the West Bank.

It places hundreds of Israelis – including soldiers and senior political figures – at risk of prosecution. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has rejected the case as “undiluted antisemitism and the height of hypocrisy”.

Palestinian armed groups, including the Gaza-based Hamas faction, which has been accused of intentionally attacking civilians with indiscriminate rocket fire, will come under scrutiny. Still, the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, an internationally recognised representative for Palestinians, wants to pursue the case.

In his letter, Johnson backed Israel’s claims that the court has no jurisdiction to investigate because “Israel is not a party to the statute of Rome and Palestine is not a sovereign state”.

The court rejects this, pointing to Palestine’s status as a UN “non-member observer state” and prosecutors’ abilities to investigate people from states that are not signatories.

In its statement, Palestine said that when it joined the court the UK raised no objection, and it had every right to pursue claims on behalf of victims.

“If Mr Johnson disputes this, he disputes the legitimacy of the court. Moreover, he contradicts stated British policy, which is clear that settlements are a violation of international law and therefore a war crime,” it said.

“If Israel is not held responsible for its actions, it has no incentive to comply with international law. If ‘friends and allies’ are exempt from international law, there is no foundation for the rules-based global order.”

Several pro-Palestinian UK charities joined the condemnation of Johnson’s letter. In a joint statement, they accused the prime minister of “political interference” in the court’s work.

source: Oliver Holmes

Levant

Cameron and Sunak to be called to give evidence to Greensill inquiries Royals to forgo military gear at Philip’s funeral ‘to avoid embarrassing Harry’

Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.