“Once again, the State Attorney’s Office is protective of the leftists… [ignoring] the explicit language of the law: whoever helps the enemy is a criminal.”
By World Israel News Staff
Israel’s State Attorney’s office ruled that Meretz leader Nitzan Horowitz did not commit treason when he voiced support for the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision to investigate Israel for war crimes.
The decision was delivered in the form of a letter from Deputy State Attorney Nurit Litman to Religious Zionism MK Itamar Ben-Gvir, who requested the Attorney General open a criminal investigation into Horowitz.
“There is nothing to establish suspicion of the existence of a criminal offense. The statement was made with the aim of expressing political criticism and not with the aim of assisting the enemy in its war against Israel,” Litman said.
The ICC announced in March that it would investigate Israel. It said it would focus on Operation Protective Edge in 2014, in which Israel attacked the Gaza Strip following the kidnapping and murder of three Jewish teens, and Israeli building in Judea and Samaria.
Israeli politicians blasted the decision. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the court of hypocrisy and anti-Semitism, vowing “to fight for the truth.”
Defense Minister Benny Gantz said the court had become “a tool in the hands of the enemies of the State of Israel” and he would ensure IDF soldiers, who could face surprise arrest when visiting Europe, would be protected.
However, Horowitz reacted differently, saying the Hague had a basis for its investigation.
“I say this with great sadness, there were grounds for the decision. I don’t want Israel to face these situations… but Israel needs to ask itself what it needs to do to prevent that,” he said. He urged the government to cooperate with the court.
In response to the state attorney’s decision, Ben-Gvir said, “Once again, the State Attorney’s Office is protective of the leftists… [ignoring] the explicit language of the law: whoever helps the enemy is a criminal.”