Netanyahu asked Biden in their first call last week to keep sanctions imposed by the Trump administration against the International Criminal Court (ICC) in place, Israeli officials say.
Why it matters: Israeli officials are concerned that lifting the sanctions will hamper Israel’s efforts to halt a possible war criminal investigation into Israel, and that the court prosecutor may see this as a sign that the US is not opposed to the investigation. is not.
The whole picture: ICC judges paved the way for a possible investigation last month when they ruled that the court has jurisdiction over the West Bank and Gaza. (Israel is not a party to the Rome Statute that determines the mandate of the court, but the Palestinian territories are.)
- Israel is very concerned that any investigation could lead to international arrest warrants against Israeli officials and military officers and that it could promote BDS campaigns (boycott, repulsion and sanctions) against Israel.
- Israel has asked dozens of allies to send a “discreet message” urging ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda not to continue the investigation, as Axios reported two weeks ago.
Flash back: Although not a party to the Rome Statute, the US has had its own confrontations with the ICC, which last March chose to continue an investigation into the war in Afghanistan, which could allow US troops and the CIA imply.
- The Trump administration reacted angrily and imposed sanctions on ICC officials, including Bensouda, and threatened to punish the judges of the court next.
- Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has promised further steps if the ICC opens an investigation into Israel.
The state of affairs: Israeli diplomats have spoken out against their US counterparts saying that even if the government does not agree with the sanctions, it should maintain them as leverage to persuade Bensouda and her successor not to continue the investigation into Afghanistan or the West Bank and Gaza. to sit.
- The issue was raised in a recent phone call between Ashkenazi and Blinken, Israeli officials said.
What they say: “In my telephone conversation with President Biden, we talked about our moral obligation to protect our troops from those who try to tarnish their morality with bad allegations,” Netanyahu said last Thursday during a memorial service for soldiers missing in action.
- His comments went unnoticed, but Israeli officials told me he was hinting at possible ICC investigations against Israeli and US soldiers.
- Netanyahu’s office declined to comment on this story, as did the White House and the State Department.