PA hypocrisy: After pressuring ICC to launch political investigation against Israel, PA condemns backlash as “politicization” and “unacceptable pressure”

Headline: “Palestine condemns the attempts of Australia and other states to politicize the International Criminal Court’s activity”

“The State of Palestine condemned the attempts of Australia and other states to politicize the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) activity. The [PA] Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates issued a statement yesterday [Feb. 7, 2021] saying: ‘The State of Palestine expresses deep concern regarding the statements made by a number of ICC member states, including the statement of the Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs opposing the pre-trial chamber’s decision on the ICC’s jurisdiction over the land of Palestine (refers to its decision to investigate Israel despite Israel not being an ICC member and “Palestine” not being a state -Ed.). It emphasizes that the goal of these statements is to politicize the ICC’s activity, and to attempt to exert unacceptable pressure on it. This position stands in contradiction of the ways of achieving justice and accountability. These positions also constitute bias in favor of the colonialist occupation, and a desire to continue hiding the crimes that have been committed against the Palestinian people for more than 54 years.’

The statement also said: ‘The State of Palestine, as a Rome Convention member state, emphasizes its support for the ICC’s independence and its opposition to states interfering in its activity and [their attempts] to influence it and politicize it, according to the positions of these states. It calls on all the states to honor the ICC and its work – putting the most despicable crimes that are being committed around the world on trial – as no one is above the law, not even allies of superpowers.’ …

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs concluded its statement by saying that ‘the State of Palestine’s existence is a legal and political fact that cannot be ignored or denied. The governments that continue to deny this fact must wake up and move to the right side of history on this matter.’”