[Opinion] Political Games at The Hague
[Excerpts]
Most well-intentioned international political initiatives do not end well, and the International Criminal Court is no exception. The ICC was created in the context of the negotiations that ended in 1998 with the Rome Statute, and already then, it was clear that Israel was a primary target, particularly for the Arab states and for the anti-Israel groups that claim to promote international law and human rights. The façade may be legal, but in practice, this is a political institution.
For the past two decades, these political actors have continuously led campaigns aimed at bringing Israel before the ICC, spending tens of millions of dollars, euros, and pounds. One of the leaders of this industry is Human Rights Watch, which during this entire period has been led by an obsessive anti-Israel activist (Kenneth Roth). Roth hired numerous anti-Israel activists, including Omar Shakir. Amnesty International has run a similar effort, although with less impact. In parallel, a number of Palestinian NGOs closely linked to the PLO and to the PFLP terror organization have added to the campaign, accompanied by the usual Israeli groups.
European government funding has been essential for this process. Four Palestinian NGOs – Al-Haq, Al-Dameer, PCHR, and Al Mezan – have been directly funded by the Swiss, Dutch, Swedish, and Danish governments and their grants specify the documentation of “war crimes” and similar accusations. Other groups involved in this process are funded by the EU, the UK, Belgium, Germany, and other countries.