US Senate Threatens Palestinians for Trying to Join World Court

Senators Blast 'Deplorable' Bid for Membership

US Senators are angrily condemning the Palestinian Authority for its attempts to join the International Criminal Court (ICC), with a joint statement from several promising a “strong response” in retaliation.

The statement blasts the membership bid as “deplorable, counterproductive” and suggests that the US should revoke foreign aid provided to the Palestinians, which makes up some $400 million annually.

The US has insisted that Palestine can’t be a member because it’s “not a state,” but since they are recognized by the UN as a “non-member observer state,” there is no indication the UN is going to agree with that claim.

Israel has been pushing for Congress to cut off aid to the Palestinians to punish them for the move, which means a large portion of Congress will inevitably back the revocation. There is no sign, however, that this is going to scare the Palestinians away from seeking membership.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.