The Palestinian Authority wants to join 122 States that are already signatories of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
The US and Israel have both refused to ratify this accord along with some very dubious other governments, until you ratify it then in essence you have refused to sign it. Sorry but no triangulating that in essence you agree but it doesn't apply to you type of thang. One can see why the US did not sign it, torture and preemptive war would have generated some legal consequences from our latest global escapades, and rightfully so according to our own Senate report.
Every time the Palestinians try for some recognition of statehood the US blocks them and Israel punishes them. I would have thought this is the minimum requirement for any two state solution?
In November 2012, after the Palestinian Authority's status at the United Nations General Assembly was upgraded to non-member observer state, Netanyahu ordered a wave of settlement construction to the tune of thousands of housing units and the advancement of plans for the Mevasseret Adumim neighborhood in the E-1 corridor between Ma'aleh Adumim and Jerusalem.
With this latest move Israel fears:
"We will not sit idly by," Netanyahu said. "We will not allow Israeli soldiers and officers to be dragged to The Hague. The Palestinian Authority's leaders, who forged an alliance with Hamas war criminals, are the ones who should be punished."
Funnily enough the move by the Palestinians would also open themselves up to the same process. Unless you know you that you have done something wrong, why would you object. In fact the above statement seems to admit wrongdoing.
So what do Israel plan to do this time?
Nissim Ben Sheetrit emphasized to the envoys that Israel's response would be much harsher and more comprehensive than freezing the Palestinian Authority's tax revenues. In the wake of the Palestinian bid, "Israel is about to switch from defense to attack [mode]," said Ben Sheetrit.
For joining 122 nations in their pursuit to stop crimes against humanity?
Really, you get punished for that these days?
If the Palestinians are permitted to become signatories then this opens themselves up to the same standard.
It is absolutely absurd to punish them for this, punish them for what exactly? Being against war crimes? Allowing the court to investigate both themselves and Israel.
The US keeps saying that we believe in the two state solution, one can have only doubts about that since any move towards this solution is thwarted by the US itself.
I am glad France voted to recognize the Palestinian State and it's membership of the United Nations. This is the bare minimum requirement in the road to a two State solution. Negating this can only mean in reality that this is not the solution that the US wants. So after decades of protecting Israel in everything it does, settlements, collective punishment and possibly war crimes, how can the US been seen as an impartial and reliable negotiator for any Peace accord between Israel and Palestine? Where is the good faith?
This decades old destabilizing and bloody situation is reaching new levels of the absurd. It has long been my view that until this situation is equitably resolved that there is no hope of combating extremist ideology elsewhere. The US can bomb ISIS as long as it likes, it can continually overthrow regimes ad infinitum, but the bloodshed will still continue. We stopped our wars in the region apparently, ha bloody ha I say. In terms of promoting a stable Middle east our policies have been an abject failure, in terms of making us safer an absolute joke. However in spreading fear and loathing they could have not been better.
The view from outside of the US is that the US and Israel can commit war crimes and torture with impunity because somehow they are better than anyone else. It's a dangerous world view at best that also allows China and Russia off the hook. Is it any wonder that the extremists follow suit and is it any wonder they find willing recruits?
Justice can be talked about until you are blue in the face but it is a total waste of time unless it is seen to be done and all parties involved held to the same standards. The is a reason the UN is mocked for its ineffectiveness, its because some of its members refuse point blank to uphold its fundamental reasons for existing in the first place.
Now if the US and Israel were in the least bit concerned about human rights and War crimes they would ratify the Rome statute immediately, then and only then can they whine about anyone else.
