Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu torched an investigation by the International Criminal Court into alleged Israeli war crimes as a “perversion of justice.”
The International Criminal Court is opening an investigation into allegations that Israeli and Palestinian terrorist groups have committed war crimes over the years, the agency announced Wednesday. While Palestinian leadership has cheered the announcement, the news has been met with enmity by Israel, with Netanyahu vowing Thursday to fight the move tooth and nail.
“I think this is an outrageous decision by a politicized kangaroo court that goes against the one democracy in the Middle East, Israel, whose soldiers honorably and scrupulously do everything to avoid civilian casualties as they’re fighting the worst terrorists on earth who do everything in their power to commit civilian casualties,” the prime minister told Fox News.
He noted the atrocities committed by strongman Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria and human rights abuses committed by Iran in wondering why the International Criminal Court is choosing to focus on the Jewish state, calling the investigation “pure anti-Semitism” and a “perversion of justice.”
ISRAEL RECEIVES FIRST-EVER UAE AMBASSADOR AFTER TRUMP-BROKERED NORMALIZATION
“This is particularly outrageous because the ICC, the International Court, was built to prevent the kind of horrors that were committed on the Jewish people by the Nazis, and now, they’re turning their guns on the one and only state of the Jewish people,” Netanyahu continued. “Well, we’re not going to stand for it. And I’m going to fight this until — I’m going to fight this in every place. Fight for the truth, fight against this perversion of justice until this horrific decision is annulled and become null and void.”
The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, said in a statement that the investigation would cover alleged crimes committed by both sides since June 2014, shortly before the start of the Gaza War, also known as Operation Protective Edge, that resulted in the deaths of thousands.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that the United States “firmly opposes” the International Criminal Court investigation and would “continue to uphold our strong commitment to Israel and its security, including by opposing actions that seek to target Israel unfairly.”
