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                   US Denounces ICC War Crime Probe of Israel

   by VOA News

   The United States has joined Israel in condemning the International
   Criminal Court decision to open a preliminary probe into possible war
   crimes committed against Palestinians.

   U.S. State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke said Friday in a statement
   "it is a tragic irony that Israel, which has withstood thousands of
   terrorist rockets fired at its civilians and its neighborhoods, is now
   being scrutinized by the ICC."

   The preliminary probe announced Friday is not an investigation, but
   weighs information about possible crimes and jurisdiction issues to
   establish whether a full investigation is merited.

   ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said her office will conduct an "analysis
   in full independence and impartiality."

   Rathke said the U.S. "strongly" disagrees with the ICC prosecutor's
   action.  He said "the place to resolve the differences between the
   parties is through direct negotiation, not unilateral actions by either
   side."

   Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the ICC's decision
   "scandalous" since the Palestinian Authority - in his words -
   "cooperates with Hamas, a terror group that commits war crimes, in
   contrast to Israel that fights terror while maintaining international
   law, and has an independent justice system."

   If a full probe does go forward, it would open the door for charges
   against both Israeli and Palestinian officials.

   The announcement comes two weeks after the Palestinian Authority
   submitted documents to the United Nations to join the Hague-based
   court, the ICC.

   The Palestinian ambassador to the U.N. Riyad Mansour called the move a
   "very significant step" that is necessary to seek justice for crimes
   against the Palestinian people.

   The ambassador said the Palestinians are seeking retroactive
   jurisdiction from the ICC regarding crimes committed during last year's
   war in Gaza, while left nearly 2,200 Palestinians dead, including
   hundreds of children and women, while 73 Israelis were killed - mostly
   soldiers.

   The document handover was the last formal step for the Palestinians to
   join the ICC, a process that takes at least 60 days.

   Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signed the documents after the U.N.
   Security Council rejected a draft resolution setting a three-year
   deadline for the establishment of a Palestinian state on lands occupied
   by Israel after the 1967 war.

   Israel responded by freezing $125 million in Palestinian tax revenues.
   The Palestinians rely on that monthly money transfer from Israel to run
   their government and pay the salaries of civil servants. Both the
   European Union and the U.S. criticized Israel's decision.

   By becoming members of the ICC, the Palestinians also open themselves
   up to counter-charges of war crimes.

   The U.N. formed the ICC in 1998. The court is considered an independent
   judicial institution, and is not supervised by the United Nations.  It
   prosecutes suspects accused of genocide, war crimes and other crimes
   against humanity. The court has no power to make arrests, but it does
   have the authority to issue arrest warrants, which can make it a
   problem for suspects to travel.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/us-denounces-icc-war-crimes-probe-of-
   israel/2602536.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/us-denounces-icc-war-crimes-probe-of-israel/2602536.html