As fears mount in Israel that the ICC will issue arrest warrants against the Prime Minister and other officials in the government and military, one has to wonder - Why is Joe Biden being so quiet?.
The
question on many minds today is simple yet profound: Where is President Joe
Biden as Israel faces potential legal peril at the hands of the International
Criminal Court (ICC)?
The ICC,
established to prosecute individuals for war crimes, genocide, and crimes
against humanity, operates under the Rome Statute. Notably, Israel and the US
are not members of the ICC, each for distinct reasons. The US has long been
wary of ceding its sovereignty to an international body with broad
prosecutorial powers. At the same time, Israel has avoided joining due to
ongoing conflicts in the West Bank and Gaza, where the ICC claims jurisdiction.
A recent
article in The Jerusalem Post highlighted that the ICC might be poised to issue
arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense
Minister Yoav Gallant, and IDF Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi. This possibility
has alarmed Israeli officials, prompting Netanyahu to declare that Israel would
never accept any ICC attempt to undermine its inherent right to self-defense.
Despite
these concerns, President Biden's administration has remained relatively quiet,
leading to the question: why isn't Biden defending Israel against the ICC's
potential overreach? While US House Speaker Mike Johnson has called on the ICC
to "stand down on this immediately," Biden's reluctance to intervene
has raised eyebrows.
The US
has historically been a strong ally of Israel, sharing a common understanding
of the threats posed by terrorist organizations like Hamas. However, Biden's
administration has taken a more cautious approach to the ICC, rescinding former
President Donald Trump's order to sanction the ICC if it indicted Israeli
leaders. This shift in policy could be seen as contributing to the ICC's
emboldened stance against Israel.
Moreover,
a Wall Street Journal editorial urged the US and the UK to intervene, noting
that ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan's candidacy was championed by Britain and
supported by the US. It suggested that Biden's administration risks setting a
dangerous precedent for prosecuting democracies defending themselves against
terrorism if it continues its current course.
Setting
the right example
As
Israel wages its just war against Hamas and other terrorist groups, the US must
take a firm stance against ICC overreach. If the ICC continues on its current
path, it not only threatens Israel's right to self-defense but also endangers
the soldiers and officials of all democracies fighting savage terrorism. The
time for Biden to act is now, before the ICC becomes a "kangaroo
court," as former US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman has warned.
The US
administration's hesitance to defend Israel from potential ICC prosecution
raises serious concerns. As a critical ally, the US must stand with Israel to
ensure its inherent right to self-defense and resist attempts by international
bodies to undermine the fight against terrorism. Where is Biden? It's time for
him to step forward and defend a democratic ally before it's too late.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-798965