The US State Department objected to the International Criminal Court’s decision on Friday, which states that the Hague-based court has jurisdiction over the Palestinian territories, paving the way for an investigation of war crimes there.
"The United States objects to the International Criminal Court´s decision regarding the Palestinian situation," State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Twitter.
"We will continue to support President Biden´s strong commitment to Israel´s security, including countering efforts to unfairly target Israel," added Price.
The US State Department issued a statement Friday, February 5, 2021 stating, “Today, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a decision claiming jurisdiction in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza, at a time when serious legal and factual issues surround its ability to do so.”
The statement adds: "As we made clear when the Palestinians claimed to join the Rome Statute in 2015, we do not believe that the Palestinians are eligible as a sovereign state, and therefore they are not eligible for membership as a state, or to participate as a state in international organizations and entities, or conferences, including: That´s the International Criminal Court. "
The statement, of which Jerusalem received a copy, says: “We have serious concerns about the ICC’s attempts to exercise its jurisdiction over Israeli individuals. The United States has always taken the position that the court’s jurisdiction should be limited to countries that approve it, or that it refers to the United Nations Security Council United ".
The International Criminal Court decided on Friday that its jurisdiction includes the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel since 1967, including East Jerusalem.
The Palestinians praised this decision, which was also welcomed by human rights organizations, while Israel condemned it. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "the investigations of the International Criminal Court with Israel into false war crimes are anti-Semitism."
In addition to the investigation of Israeli crimes against the Palestinians, the criminal court’s decision includes opening an investigation into what it described as "crimes" committed by Hamas, and acts contrary to international law by the Palestinian Authority as well.
It is noteworthy that two of the three judges approved the decision, while the third judge, President of the Court Judge Peter Kovac, who said that he opposes the basic issue and believes that there is no jurisdiction for the court in this case, because there is no talk about a complete state (Palestinians), and that the court State does not own the lands in 1967.
