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https://theconversation.com/us-hostility-towards-the-icc-is-nothing-new-it-supports-the-court-only-when-it-suits-american-interests-230663>
"This week, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) applied
for arrest warrants for three Hamas leaders, as well as Israeli Prime Minister
Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, in connection with the ongoing war
in Gaza.
The reaction of the United States, Israel’s main backer, was swift. President
Joe Biden condemned the prosecutor’s action against Israel’s leaders as
“outrageous” and accused the ICC of drawing false moral equivalence between
Hamas and Israel.
While it is not yet clear if the ICC’s judges will decide to issue the warrants
for Netanyahu and Gallant, the Biden administration has already hinted at the
possibility of imposing US sanctions against ICC officials.
Yet, just a year ago, when the ICC issued arrest warrants for Russian President
Vladimir Putin and another Russian official for alleged international crimes in
the Ukraine war, US officials were full of praise for the court. Biden welcomed
the action, calling it “justified”.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in fact, the US has continually
displayed its support for the ICC. One top US official, the ambassador-at-large
for global criminal justice, said the ICC “occupies an important place in the
ecosystem of international justice”.
The US’ apparent about-face when the court targeted its ally is nothing new.
Nor is it surprising.
Rather, this vacillating approach is merely symptomatic of the US’ complicated
relationship with the ICC since its creation in 1998. Its hostile reaction to
the Israel-Palestine situation will certainly have been expected by court
officials."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
