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The International Criminal Court Must Fall

(Spectator-UK) Stephen Daisley - The ICC accuses Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose nation is embroiled in a multi-front war against enemies sworn to its destruction, of using "starvation as a method of warfare," "murder, persecution and other inhumane acts," and "intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population." Not only is there no evidence that Israel is denying the Palestinians food as a military tactic, there is copious evidence to the contrary: 1.1 million tons of humanitarian aid, 79% of it food, has been transferred into Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, under Israeli supervision. It is an act of wicked cruelty and sadism to invert the truth as the ICC does and accuse Israel of murder, persecution and inhumane acts, the very crimes to which its citizens were subjected by Palestinian invaders on Oct. 7. The accusation that Israel intentionally targets civilians is simply a lie: the Israel Defense Forces routinely warn civilians in advance of military operations to allow them to vacate the area. Recognizing that targeting Israel sets a precedent for a future onslaught against the U.S., Mike Waltz, the incoming administration's nominee for national security adviser, told the court to "expect a strong response" come January. That response should sanction the ICC out of existence. It should freeze its bank accounts, limit travel by its staff, and tell allies to choose between their relationship with Washington and their fealty to a failed and broken institution. When the ICC opened an investigation into the Americans' prosecution of the Afghanistan war in 2020, President Trump objected on the grounds that the U.S. had not ratified the Rome Statute and was not a party to the court or its jurisdiction. He signed an executive order blocking the assets of all persons involved in the court and its Afghanistan investigation, or those providing "material assistance" to that endeavor, as well as barring entry to the U.S. by ICC staff and their immediate family. Trump later imposed additional sanctions on the court's prosecutor and other senior staff. The Afghanistan probe has gone nowhere.
2024-11-26 00:00:00
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