Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday angrily rejected an international criminal court ruling that could allow the investigation of war crimes committed by Israel reportedly in the Gaza Strip and on the West Bank, criticizing him as “True Anti-Semitism”.
On Friday, the ICC ruled that it has sovereignty over the situation in the Palestinian territories, paving the way for the tribunal to open a war crimes investigation. Palestine is a state party in court, having joined in 2015, but Israel is not a member.
ICC building in The Hague
(Photo: AP)
“As Israel’s prime minister, I can assure you of this: we will fight this justice to the best of our ability,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “This is true anti-Semitism.”
Netanyahu falsely shouted against any request from the ICC to investigate “false war crimes”.
“The court, which was set up to prevent crimes such as the Nazi Holocaust against the Jews, is now aimed at one Jewish state,” he said. to say horribly that this is a war crime when we are fighting live in our home country.
“Second, he says that when a democratic Israel defends itself against terrorists who murder our children and rock our cities, we are committing another war crime,” he said. .
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
(Photo: Emil Selman )
He said the ICC should investigate “violent dictatorships like Iran and Syria that commit horrific crimes almost every day”.
Hamas’ s terrorist group that rules Gaza earlier in the day issued a statement, praising the ICC ruling. “Any international decision that upholds the rights of the Palestinian people and protects their freedom is a human rights-friendly decision,” Hamas said in a statement.
“The Palestinian people are waiting for the day when the post and the leaders will be brought to justice for the crimes they have committed against him. We want all means to be put in place to stop the institutional terrorism and crimes of Israel against the Palestinian people. “
Hamas fires rockets in a weapons drill
(Photo: AFP)
The U.S. State Department has said it has “genuine concerns” about the ICC ruling, adding that Israel should not be tied to the court because it was not a member.
Israel took possession of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the Six-Day War of 1967, after which it largely invaded the Arab east of Jerusalem. Today they are home to at least five million Palestinians who have been described by the United Nations as living under an “Israeli occupation”.