JIJ’s Statement on The ICC RulingWednesday 27/11/2024

JIJ’s Statement on The ICC Ruling to Issue of Arrest Warrant Against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant

The Jerusalem Institute for Justice vehemently condemns the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) ruling to issue arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant. This ruling is a purely political decision that not only flagrantly violates legal and moral standards but also shamefully capitulates to the pressures of anti-Israeli factions.

The ICC, established to protect genuine victims and hold accountable leaders responsible for the gravest crimes, has, for the first time in its history, chosen to target a democratic nation with a robust, independent judiciary fully dedicated to upholding the principles and rules of international law. This is a deplorable and calculated attempt to undermine the State of Israel and the IDF as they take decisive actions to defend the very existence of the world’s only Jewish state against an attempt to eradicate it. These efforts come in response to the most extensively documented barbaric massacre of modern times, orchestrated by Hamas and other terror groups.

We are deeply disappointed by the court’s decision to dismiss JIJ’s arguments, as outlined in our recently submitted legal observation. The court has chosen to disregard our strong legal arguments and overreach by asserting jurisdiction it does not possess. In doing so, it has acted in violation of the binding agreement between the parties to this ruling, wrongly recognized Palestine as a state despite its failure to meet the established threshold conditions, and blatantly ignored the existence of a robust, independent judicial system within a democratic state. Even more troubling, the court has created a false moral equivalence between the leaders of a democratic state and the arch-terrorists of Hamas. To further undermine its credibility, the court also decided to issue an arrest warrant against the dead terror mastermind, Mohammed Deif.

This ruling targets our leaders in the immediate term, but the repercussions are far more profound and far-reaching. It delivers a severe blow to the court’s integrity, inflicting irreparable harm on public trust and the very concept of international justice. What should serve as a safeguard against atrocities has been twisted into a political weapon wielded against moral, law-abiding nations. The Jerusalem Institute for Justice urgently calls on the international community to stand against this outrageous ruling. Only by taking a firm stand can we begin to restore faith in the mechanisms of international accountability and uphold the principles of true justice.