US Secretary of State Assaults Court: "Political and Non-Judicial Body"
Mike Pompeo
Photo:
Ron przysucha
A few days after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's visit to Jerusalem, the State Department issued a firm message this weekend to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, known for its legal bias against the State of Israel.
"If you start an investigation against Israel for war crimes in Judea and Samaria, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, the tribunal will bear the consequences of the investigation," Pompeo sent an explicit threat.
Pompeo is with Netanyahu // archive photography
In a statement, Pompeo accused the tribunal of being "a political and non-judicial body. It is an unfortunate fact that has been ratified in the prosecution's attempt to assert jurisdiction over Israel, which, like the United States, is not part of the Rome Treaty under which the tribunal was established."
The Secretary of State said that as the US government emphasized when the Palestinians signed the treaty, the US "does not believe that the Palestinians are eligible for a sovereign state and therefore do not qualify for full membership."
He mentioned that seven countries partnering with the Rome Convention - Austria, Australia, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary and Uganda - "have submitted official positions to the tribunal claiming that he has no authority to pursue an investigation against Israel." We agree, ”Pompeo clarified.
According to the secretary of state, "a court that seeks to apply its power outside its jurisdiction is a political tool that is used to mock the law's procedures."
He reiterated that the United States has "long objected to any illegitimate ICC investigation. If the tribunal continues to follow its present path - we will demand the price, ”he pledged.
This is not the first time Pompeo has attacked the International Court of Justice in The Hague and its head, President Pato at its core.
As of last December, the US Secretary of State tweeted in his Twitter account: "We are vigorously opposed to this unwarranted investigation, which is unfairly directed against the State of Israel."