Left-wing party president Meretz said on Saturday that, although he was hurt by the opening of the International Criminal Court for an investigation of war crimes against Israel, “there were reasons for the decision”, prompting outrage from other lawmakers, especially from right .
“People say to us, ‘You want Israel to be brought before The Hague.’ I don’t want Israel to be taken to The Hague … But Israel also has a responsibility, ”said Nitzan Horowitz in an interview with Channel 13.
“I say this very sadly, there were reasons for the decision. I don’t want Israel to face these situations … but Israel needs to ask itself what it needs to do to prevent this, ”he added, urging the government to cooperate with the international tribunal based in The Hague – something it has not done so far.
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Bensouda announced on Wednesday that he was opening an investigation into the actions committed by Israel and the Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem since 2014.
Bensouda indicated in 2019 that a criminal investigation would likely focus on the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas, the Israeli settlement policy and the 2018 Great March of the March Return protests, a series of violent demonstrations along the Gaza border with Israel that left dozens of Palestinians dead.
Horowitz argued that Israel made the decision about itself by refusing to enter into negotiations with the Palestinians and “continue to build in the settlements as if there were no tomorrow”.
Fatou Bensouda, Attorney General of the International Criminal Court (ICC), informs the Security Council about the situation in Libya, May 8, 2019 (Photo by UN / Loey Felip)
Pressed if he also thought that the IDF acted inappropriately in Gaza, the president of Meretz said: “Even in Operation Borda Protetora (the 2014 war), there were things that should not have been done. There has been massive damage to the civilian population that the court wants to verify.
“The solution for us is not to say that The Hague is anti-Semitic, but to move forward in negotiations with the Palestinians that bring about a solution. Then there will be no reason for The Hague, ”he added.
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Likud reacted to the comments by saying that Horowitz “is abandoning the IDF soldiers who protect him and all of us” and added that the Prime Minister will fight against the “anti-Semitic” decision.
Gideon Sa’ar’s New Hope party called the remark “miserable” and asked Horowitz to apologize for “supporting an anti-Semitic decision”.
Yamina MK Ayelet Shaked said that his party will not sit with Meretz in the same coalition, claiming that Horowitz justified “the ICC’s political and anti-Semitic activity by harassing IDF soldiers” and calling him “embarrassment for the Knesset”.
Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, speaking to Channel 13, also criticized Horowitz for his “unacceptable” observation.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right candidate who leads the Otzma Yehudit faction under the plate of the religious Zionist party, said he urged Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit to open an investigation against Horowitz on suspicion of “betrayal”.
A protester poses with a Palestinian flag in front of the International Criminal Court, ICC, during a rally urging the court to prosecute Israeli military personnel for war crimes; in The Hague, Netherlands, 29 November 2019. (AP / Peter Dejong)
The International Criminal Court will send a letter to Jerusalem next week formally detailing the scope of its investigation of war crimes against Israel and the Palestinians, Channel 13 reported on Friday.
Israel will then have 30 days to respond, the report said, adding that Jerusalem is inclined to do so after refusing to cooperate with the international tribunal based in The Hague so far. However, Israel is expected to use its response as an opportunity to once again express the argument that the ICC has no jurisdiction to hear the case.
The hope in Israel is that its argument over jurisdiction will be able to delay the case until the ICC’s chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, is replaced in June by British lawmaker Karim Khan, whom Jerusalem hopes to be more friendly to or even to cancel the investigation. .
Several officials told Canal 13 that they are concerned that the ICC may already begin issuing arrest warrants against former IDF officers in the coming months.
Consequently, Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz began to approach counterparts across Europe to galvanize support against the case, public broadcaster Kan said. Netanyahu and Gantz have emphasized in these links that the investigation is biased against Israel, that they say they have an independent legal system capable of prosecuting any alleged crimes.
However, it is unclear how far Israel’s argument would hold, particularly with regard to settlement policy, as in recent years Israeli courts have been used to regulate settlements and legalize outposts in the West Bank, which the majority of the international community considers it illegal.
Meanwhile, Israel sent notices to the Palestinian Authority, which submitted requests to the ICC in 2014 that led to these investigations, telling Ramallah that the war crimes investigation will make it difficult for Jerusalem to move forward with Palestinian confidence-building measures, Kan reported. Thursday. AP officials responded, saying that just as Israel was involved in peace negotiations while building the settlements, Palestinians can continue their contacts with Israel as the ICC investigation progresses.
