Israel attacked, this evening, Wednesday, the International Criminal Court, after the decision of Attorney General Fatou Bensouda to open an official investigation into the war crimes committed against the Palestinians in the occupied territories.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the decision taken was an attack against "the State of Israel", describing the court as "biased."
He claimed: "The decision represents the essence of anti-Semitism and hypocrisy. While Israel is attacked, not a single word has been spoken about Iran and Syria, which are committing real war crimes," stressing that Israel will fight until the abolition of this continent.
For his part, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin affirmed that Tel Aviv will do everything in its power to protect its citizens, and that it will not accept these allegations.
Gabi Ashkenazi, the Israeli Foreign Minister, described the decision as a “moral and legal bankruptcy,” claiming that the decision is politicized, and turns the court into a tool in the hands of those he described as “extremists” who support “terrorist” organizations and anti-Semitic bodies, he said.
He added, "Israel is a democratic state with an independent and effective legal system, and it is not a member of the court at all. The decision to open an investigation against Israel is a matter outside the court´s jurisdiction, and a waste of the international community´s resources by a biased institution that has lost all its legitimacy."
For his part, Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin said: The court’s decision is just “hypocrisy,” and that it is anti-Semitic in all respects and violates human rights, stressing that Israel will defend itself and continue building settlements and protecting its citizens.
Israeli ministers, Knesset members, and party leaders also issued similar statements.
