German Foreign Minister sides with Israel after ICC ruling it can probe Israeli “war crimes” in Judea, Samaria, Gaza and eastern Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, Australia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, Brazil, Uganda and Canada also expressed their opposition to the investigation.
Germany on Tuesday sided with Israel after the International Criminal Court (ICC) ruled last week that Judea, Samaria, Gaza and eastern Jerusalem are within its jurisdiction, paving the way for a war crimes probe against Israel.
“Our legal view on jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court regarding alleged crimes committed in the Palestine territories remains unchanged: the court has no jurisdiction because of the absence of the element of Palestinian statehood required by international law,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas wrote on Twitter.
He noted in a second tweet that Germany’s position on the ICC has not changed. “Since its foundation, Germany has been one of the ICC’s strongest supporters. We support the establishment of a future Palestinian state as part of a two state solution negotiated by Israelis and Palestinians.”
Maas’ clarification comes a day after Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi spoke to his German counterpart. Ashkenazi later tweeted, “I emphasized the severity with which Israel views the decision of the judges of the International Criminal Court.”
His clarification is in line with a previous statement by Germany backing Israel’s argument that the ICC’s jurisdiction does not extend to Palestinian Authority-assigned areas, as “Palestine” is not a state that fulfills all the criteria under general international law.
(Arutz 7)