Israel’s battle on Gaza: Rights teams urge Biden to oppose threats to ICC | Gaza Information

US lawmakers are pushing to sanction Worldwide Legal Court docket over prosecutor’s push to hunt Israel arrest warrants.

Human rights teams are urging US President Joe Biden’s administration to oppose threats in opposition to the Worldwide Legal Court docket (ICC) after its chief prosecutor’s determination to hunt arrest warrants in opposition to Israeli officers drew ire in Washington.

In a letter to Biden that was made public on Thursday, greater than 100 organisations from around the globe referred to as on the US authorities to “oppose any legislative efforts to undermine the ICC”.

“The flexibility of the ICC to supply justice for victims requires full respect for its independence. A selective method to judicial selections undermines the credibility, and finally, the drive of the legislation as a defend in opposition to human rights violations and abuses,” the letter reads.

Human Rights Watch, Amnesty Worldwide USA and the US Marketing campaign for Palestinian Rights have been among the many signatories.

The letter was despatched days after ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan introduced on Monday that he was in search of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant in addition to three senior Hamas officers.

Khan accused the Israeli leaders of bearing “felony duty” for battle crimes and crimes in opposition to humanity in relation to Israel’s battle on the Gaza Strip, which has killed greater than 35,500 Palestinians since early October.

These alleged crimes embrace intentional assaults in opposition to civilians, willful killings and hunger of civilians as a weapon of battle, Khan stated.

The announcement drew instant anger from pro-Israel lawmakers from each the US Democratic and Republican events, together with Biden himself, who referred to as Khan’s determination “outrageous”.

Some Republicans have gone additional and have referred to as on Congress to cross bipartisan laws that might impose sanctions on ICC officers in response to the arrest warrant requests.

“It’s crucial that the Senate, in a bipartisan method, comes up with crippling sanctions in opposition to the ICC – not solely to assist Israel however to discourage any future motion in opposition to American personnel,” Republican Senator Lindsey Graham stated on social media.

Throughout a congressional listening to on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken prompt the Biden administration can be prepared to work with lawmakers on laws to penalise the worldwide tribunal.

“I believe we’ve got to have a look at the suitable steps to take to cope with, once more, what’s a profoundly wrongheaded determination,” the highest US diplomat stated.

Shortly after taking workplace in 2021, Biden lifted US sanctions in opposition to ICC officers that had been imposed by his Republican predecessor Donald Trump as a part of the Democratic president’s push to re-engage with worldwide establishments after Trump’s presidency.

“Our assist for the rule of legislation, entry to justice, and accountability for mass atrocities are necessary US nationwide safety pursuits which are protected and superior by participating with the remainder of the world to satisfy the challenges of immediately and tomorrow,” the Biden administration stated on the time.

However the Biden administration has supplied unequivocal diplomatic and navy assist for Israel throughout the Gaza battle regardless of widespread criticism and calls to situation US help to the highest Center East ally.

The US supplies no less than $3.8bn in navy help to Israel annually, and it has supplied further help throughout the ongoing battle in Gaza.

On the similar time, the US has had a fraught relationship with the ICC, which was established below the Rome Statute to analyze battle crimes, crimes in opposition to humanity and different atrocities.

Neither the US nor Israel are events to the Rome Statute and neither recognise the jurisdiction of the courtroom.

Palestine, a nonmember observer state on the United Nations, formally accepted the ICC’s jurisdiction in 2015, extending the courtroom’s authority to analyze atrocities dedicated within the occupied Palestinian territory.

Over 100 human rights and civil society teams name on #US #Biden to assist #ICC independence and oppose sanctions on the courtroom and its officers.#JusticeMatters ⚖️

Learn our letter right here: https://t.co/sNksbQuwkJ pic.twitter.com/7GrPYyw1ka

— Liz Evenson (@liz_evenson) May 23, 2024

In Thursday’s letter, the rights teams referred to as on the Biden administration “to make sure that any disagreement in regards to the Court docket’s course of is pursued by means of correct judicial channels below the Court docket’s treaty”.

“We welcomed press statements by your administration in current weeks indicating that it doesn’t assist ‘threats or intimidation’ of ICC officers,” the letter reads.

“We urge you to oppose any legislative efforts to undermine the ICC, and to clarify that no matter its views on particular ICC investigations, america continues to assist unbiased worldwide justice mechanisms.”