Very well said:
This outrageous decision is truly a slap in the face to the independent judiciary in Israel, which is renowned for their independence.
We must not forget as a nation the International Criminal Court threatened to bring action against American forces in Afghanistan – and we are a non-member.
I will be issuing a detailed statement regarding the outrageous actions by the ICC against the State of Israel and I will feverishly work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle in both chambers to levy damning sanctions against the ICC.
However, these are my initial thoughts.
Most importantly, I want the world to know that I, along with my Republican and Democrat colleagues, and members of the Administration engaged the ICC on this issue weeks ago.
We were told there would be discussions with Israel before any actions were taken. We stressed that the principle of “complementarity” should be applied in this case. Complementarity requires the ICC to let the nation in question’s legal system move first before any action is taken by the Court.
Prosecutor Khan’s team was supposed to be in Israel today to arrange a meeting for next week with the prosecutor’s office about the allegations. I was told by ICC staff that the investigation would likely take months and not weeks, and that there would be meaningful consultation with the State of Israel.
Instead of the ICC following through with scheduled consultations with Israel, they announced the warrants.
I feel that I was lied to and that my colleagues were lied to. Prosecutor Khan is drunk with self-importance and has done a lot of damage to the peace process and to the ability to find a way forward.
Lying prosecutors never bring about just outcomes.