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The International Criminal Court Threatens Middle East Peace

(Gatestone Institute) Col. (ret.) Richard Kemp - The International Criminal Court (ICC) has long had its sights on Israel, the U.S. and Britain. These are the three Western democracies most active in using legitimate military force to defend their interests. Yet by its charter, dealing with countries that lack the will or capability to bring their own to justice is the sole purpose of the ICC. This demonstrably does not apply to Israel, the U.S. or Britain, each of which have long-established and globally respected legal systems. The effects of the ICC's decision will be profound. Unless halted, investigations into spurious allegations of war crimes will go on for years, perhaps decades, creating a global bonanza for all who hate Israel. Although determining jurisdiction does not imply guilt, it will be widely portrayed as just that and utilized to stir up hatred and violence against Israelis and Jews everywhere. But the most detrimental effect of the ICC's decision will be felt by Palestinian Arab people who, for decades, have been abused as political pawns by their leaders and who would be the greatest beneficiaries of any peace agreement with Israel. The ICC's ruling makes such a deal even more remote today. The writer, a former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, was chairman of the UK's national crisis management committee, COBRA.
2021-02-15 00:00:00
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