Netanyahu: International Criminal Court has no business prosecuting US, Israeli soldiers

Netanyahu said the ICC made the right move in rejecting a petition to prosecute American soldiers who served in Afghtanistan.

By David Isaac, World Israel News

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu applauded the decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the Hague on Friday to reject a petition to investigate U.S. soldiers who served in Afghanistan. He made his remarks at the weekly Cabinet meeting on Sunday in Jerusalem.

“To come and put on trial U.S. or Israeli soldiers, or the State of Israel or the U.S., is absurd. It is the opposite of the original goal of the international court,” he said.

“They harass the U.S. and Israel, democracies, which by the way are not members of the international court,” the prime minister said, referring to the fact that neither the U.S. nor Israel is a signatory to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC.

“This corrects an injustice and will have far-reaching implications for the functioning of the international system regarding the State of Israel. I commend the U.S., President Trump and the Trump administration for their strong stand alongside the citizens of Israel and the soldiers of the IDF,” Prime Minister Netanyahu said.

“As on previous occasions, it has been proven that Israel has no better friend than the U.S. and we very much appreciate the support in this field as well,” he said.

On Friday, President Trump celebrated the decision of the ICC panel.

The White House said in a statement, “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.”

“Any attempt to target American, Israeli, or allied personnel for prosecution will be met with a swift and vigorous response.” the statement read, specifically mentioning Israel as another country that should be immune from prosecution.