PLO Rejects US Demand to Prohibit War Crimes Charges Against Israel
The US pushed Palestine to add a clause in UN bid barring war crimes charges against Israel. What are they afraid of?
The Palestinians have refused demands from Washington that it soften the wording of the proposed United Nations resolution regarding the recognition of a Palestinian state.
According to Haaretz, “the push did not succeed because the Palestinians refused to add a clause to the draft that would prevent them from filing criminal charges against Israeli officials at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.”
Israel, backed by the US, has objected to the Palestine Liberation Organization’s (PLO) bid at the UN, claiming formal recognition of Palestine needs to happen through negotiations, instead of happening unilaterally at the UN.
But the the defunct peace process has proven over the decades to be a scheme to provide Israel with more time to colonize and annex additional Palestinian land. Israel does not want a Palestinian state on the internationally recognized borders of pre-1967. They don’t want a state at all.
Part of the reason is ideological: Zionists have intended to gain permanent sovereignty over the West Bank since the establishment of Israel. But another reason is more immediate: if Palestine is a state, that means it can bring Israel to court for war crimes.
A secret State Department diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks revealed that one of the primary reasons behind Israeli objections to Palestinian statehood is that lack of statehood keeps Palestinian territories outside the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The US-Israeli effort to get the PLO to include a clause prohibiting Palestine from bringing Israel to court for war crimes is revealing: if they truly believed Israel hadn’t committed war crimes, such an effort wouldn’t be necessary.
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mojo
November 27th, 2012 at 9:13 pm
The war crime issue is not only for Israel to digest, but is also about U.S supply of weapon to Israel where its been used to kill and devastated the Palestinians life for decade, that is why U.S is rejecting the idea. But is about time for the world to react, and for U.S senators stop playing with their monkey business politics regarding Susan rice, if their representative is elected she or he would do exactly what Susan rice or for that matter Hillary Clinton did, lets give you an example, Madeline Albright, or Henry Kissinger and……..,
John_Muhammad
November 28th, 2012 at 1:34 am
It's amazing that Israel objects to Palestine pursuing recognition as a state by the UN… when Israel itself was created out of thin air by recognition as a state by the UN!
It's even more telling that Palestine is seeking statehood peacefully- not by force of arms, not by economic warfare- and Israel and the US just can't stand it.
Augustbrhm
November 28th, 2012 at 2:16 am
america is next for war crimes since 1776.
John Watson
November 28th, 2012 at 7:28 am
First there was Britain; now the US and Israel too admit that Israel commits war crimes.
MarketingFile
November 28th, 2012 at 8:28 am
Not gone happen . We have thousands of nukes … who is going to challenge us ? Not that I approve … Just saying that it can't / won't happen .
biblar
November 28th, 2012 at 10:03 am
John.
I don't think the objection is because the US and Israel can't stand that Palestine is seeking statehood peacfully; I believe it's more to do with them becoming increasingly anxious that the Israeli Administration and some Israeli individuals may well face prosecution should Palestine succeed in gaining observer state status.
For the US and UK to try to bargain with President Abbas smacks of foreboding and consternation on their part. The irony is, that in doing so they are telling the rest of the world at large that they too also believe past and present Israeli Administrations persistently violate International law and have committed crimes against humanity.
The US, UK and other Western Governments could no longer be seen to unilaterally support Israel should they face trial.
"crimes against humanity are also deemed to be part of jus cogens—the highest standing in international legal norms. Thus, they constitute a non-derogable rule of international law. The implication of this standing is that they are subject to universal jurisdiction, meaning that all States can exercise their jurisdiction in prosecuting a perpetrator irrespective of where the crime was committed. It also means that all States have the duty to prosecute or extradite, that no person charged with that crime can claim the “political offense exception” to extradition, and that States have the duty to assist each other in securing evidence needed to prosecute. But of greater importance is the fact that no perpetrator can claim the “defense of obedience to superior orders” and that no statute of limitation contained in the laws of any State can apply. Lastly, no one is immune from prosecution for such crimes, even a head of State"
This could really change everything for the Palestinian people; I truly hope so.
RickR30
November 28th, 2012 at 10:11 am
We'll aren't war criminals just chummy with one another? Gee, I wonder where this clause was drafted. Certainly not in the US. America once again playing its natural role of useful catamite to netenyahoo.
Viva Palestina Libre!
jjme23
November 28th, 2012 at 1:26 pm
If the courts weren't already corrupted ( thank you John Bolton) they would have brought charges against the Bush administration for crimes against humanity.
What the courts are libel to claim is that the war crimes occured before Palestanian statehood and therefor do not apply.
Watson
November 28th, 2012 at 2:50 pm
Is there a statute of limitations at the ICC? Can you dredge up past crimes, or are you limited to only the future ones?
@NeverFrgetRabbi
November 29th, 2012 at 4:13 pm
it is up to US citizen to write to every members of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the US House Foreign Relations Committee,[members of both committees listed on the internet] to demand a suspension of US aid to the Palestinian Authority, as a response to their heinous action at the East River today.
The Capitol switchboard number is: 202-224-3121. You can reach your representatives this way. The comment line for the White House is: 202-456-1111;1414. RABBI DR. BERNHARD ROSENBERG, PRESIDENT ISRAEL ADVOCACYTASK FORCE
Thomas L. Knapp
November 29th, 2012 at 6:35 pm
"if they truly believed Israel hadn’t committed war crimes, such an effort wouldn’t be necessary"
If you really didn't burglarize that house, why did you hire a lawyer when you were accused of burglarizing that house?
@NeverFrgetRabbi
December 2nd, 2012 at 8:10 am
:
As long as the Palestinian Authority educates the younger generation to hate, how is it at all possible to talk about peace?
They are raising the younger generation to hate. They are educating for the destruction of Israel. I do not see here any discourse for peace; there is no discourse that prepares the way for coexistence. The discourse is one of hatred and the destruction of the State of Israel."
Prime Minister Netanyahu directed that the matter be brought to the attention of the countries who voted in favor of the Palestinian move, which contravenes all the agreements.
Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Yaalon said, "As long as the Palestinian Authority educates its people toward hatred, and non-recognition, of Israel, there will not be peace. They are sending deep messages and this education is being absorbed by all sections of the populace, especially the younger generation." RABBI DR. BERNHARD ROSENBERG , PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER ISRAEL ADVOCACY TASK FORCE