The Palestinian Authority dismissed Washington’s threats against the International Criminal Court (ICC) should it take any measures against the US, Israel or American allies.
Member of the Executive Committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Ahmed Majdalani deemed the threat a form of political bullying by the administration of US President Donald Trump.
He added that the threat demonstrates the administration’s intention to replace international laws with special American ones.
Majdalani said that this is a “clear provocative policy and interference in the ICC work, especially in regards to the Palestinian cause.”
Palestinian authorities have filed complaints to the ICC demanding an international investigation in Israeli violations against Palestinians.
Majdalani accused Trump’s administration of seeking to impose sanctions on any state that stands by Palestine at international arenas. He also rejected the “unjustifiable” international silence on this issue.
The best response to Trump’s threats lies in the ICC quickly completing cases submitted by the Palestinian state and taking legal measures against Israel, he stressed.
“Since the creation of the ICC, the United States has consistently declined to join the court because of its broad, unaccountable prosecutorial powers, the threat it poses to American national sovereignty and other deficiencies that render it illegitimate,” the White House said in a statement it attributed to Trump.
“Any attempt to target American, Israeli, or allied personnel for prosecution will be met with a swift and vigorous response,” read the statement earlier this week.
This is not the first time that Trump slams the ICC.
In November 2017, ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda asked judges for authorization to examine possible crimes by US troops, the CIA and the US-allied Afghan National Security Forces, as well as the Taliban in Afghanistan.
In response, Trump threatened to impose sanctions on public prosecutors and ICC judges.
