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The International Criminal Court (ICC) has no jurisdiction over Israeli officials, US State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel told journalists on Tuesday, as the war in Gaza is on track to enter its seventh month.
His statement followed reports that The Hague-based court may issue arrest warrants for Israeli leadership over the conduct of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in Gaza. Bloomberg wrote on Monday that G7 countries had privately told the ICC that Israel could back out of a potential ceasefire if investigators target its officials directly.
Despite not recognizing the jurisdiction of the ICC over its own citizens, the US cooperates with the court on some matters, Patel told reporters. “We work closely with the ICC on a number of key areas. We think that they do important work as it relates to Ukraine, Darfur, Sudan,” he said. “But again, in this particular instance, I’m sorry, they just do not have jurisdiction.”
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has no jurisdiction over Israeli officials, US State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel told journalists on Tuesday, as the war in Gaza is on track to enter its seventh month.
His statement followed reports that The Hague-based court may issue arrest warrants for Israeli leadership over the conduct of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in Gaza. Bloomberg wrote on Monday that G7 countries had privately told the ICC that Israel could back out of a potential ceasefire if investigators target its officials directly.
Despite not recognizing the jurisdiction of the ICC over its own citizens, the US cooperates with the court on some matters, Patel told reporters. “We work closely with the ICC on a number of key areas. We think that they do important work as it relates to Ukraine, Darfur, Sudan,” he said. “But again, in this particular instance, I’m sorry, they just do not have jurisdiction.”
Officials in West Jerusalem worry that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi may be targeted by the ICC, according to the Times of Israel.
In a video released on Tuesday, Netanyahu slammed the potential warrants as “an outrage of historic proportions.”
“Branding Israel’s leaders and soldiers as war criminals will pour jet fuel on the fires of anti-Semitism,” he said, adding that Israel does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction. He accused the ICC of attempting to “paralyze Israel’s very ability to defend itself.” Just like the US, Israel is not a party to the ICC.
In his address, Netanyahu reiterated that the Israeli army will not stop until the Palestinian militant group Hamas is neutralized, and “that Gaza never poses a threat to Israel again.”
