Australia echoes the United States in its reaction to ICC decision on Israel
Following the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s statement that Unites States “firmly opposes” the decision of the International Criminal Court prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, to investigate alleged Israeli war crimes against the Palestinians, Australia has stated its position.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo via video conference the 2019 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 22, 2019. Credit: Screenshot.
A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson told J-Wire: “Australia is concerned by the ICC Prosecutor’s proposal to consider the situation in the Palestinian Territories, subject to a ruling by the Court’s Pre-Trial Chamber on the scope of the Court’s territorial jurisdiction in the matter.
Australia’s position is clear – we do not recognise a so-called ‘State of Palestine’ and we do not recognise that there is such a State Party to the ICC’s Rome Statute.
We consider that the question of territory and borders can be resolved only through direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. This is the only way to ensure a durable and resilient peace. ”
Pompeo said on Twitter: “Today, the ICC prosecutor raised serious questions about the ICC’s jurisdiction to investigate Israel. Israel is not a state party to the ICC. We firmly oppose this unjustified inquiry that unfairly targets Israel. The path to lasting peace is through direct negotiations.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda for announcing her organization’s intention to conduct a broad investigation of Israel for “war crimes,” calling the announcement “absurd” and accusing the ICC of having become a weapon in the hands of Israel’s enemies.
He said yesterday: “The claim by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court that Jews do not have a right to live in the Jewish homeland is pure antisemitism. So is the claim that Jews have no right to defend themselves against those who seek their annihilation.
As we celebrate Chanukah, the ICC issues decrees that are just as antisemitic as those of the ancient Seleucid Empire against the Maccabees.
We triumphed then, we will triumph now.”
The term, “Palestinian territories,” is utterly ahistorical and utterly illegitimate.
What makes them “Palestinian”? Is it the settler-colonialism of Arabs and their co-religionists from all over the Middle East and even from as far afield as Bosnia and the Caucasus, who settled in The Land of Israel when the Zionists were converting it from wasteland to productive land?
Or is it the Arab Beduin (they actually don’t much like to be called Arabs, but prefer the term, Beduin), who pursued their traditional peregrinations all over the Middle East, not having fixed, permanent residence in the Land of Israel, nor, obviously, legal title to any land there?
Or is it the fact of Arab settlers occupying private Jewish land to which Jews have legal title in secular law?