Key Issue:International Criminal Court (ICC) and NGOs
On February 5, 2021, the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced that it has the jurisdiction to open an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by Israel in the “State of Palestine.” On March 3, 2021, the Chief Prosecutor of the ICC Fatou Bensouda announced the launch of a formal investigation. The investigation is to a significant degree the product of consistent and heavy lobbying of the ICC for over a decade by non-governmental organizations (NGOs). These include Human Rights Watch (HRW), Amnesty International, and a number of groups with ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terror group.
On March 16, 2020, NGO Monitor and its partners submitted an amicus to the International Criminal Court (ICC) highlighting the inaccuracies and shortcomings of the formal investigation of war crimes committed in the West Bank and Gaza.
The submission is a response to the ICC Prosecutor’s announcement in December 2019, stating that she plans to begin a formal investigation into Israel for “war crimes” committed in the West Bank and Gaza. Our submission presents several arguments on why the ICC does not have jurisdiction over Israelis and why the Prosecutor’s claims in this regard are flawed.
Unsurprisingly, the anti-Israel NGO network (many funded by European governments), which have been centrally involved in driving the ICC agenda, also submitted amicus briefs. NGO Monitor researchers are closely examining their submissions, as well as other “evidence” that these groups are compiling.
