By COLlive reporter
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was asked in a public letter signed by members of the Senate and Congress to protect Israelis from prosecution by the International Criminal Court (ICC), an intergovernmental organization and tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands.
“We urge you to marshal a diplomatic initiative with like-minded countries who are members of the ICC to call on the ICC to cease its politically motivated investigations into the United States and Israel,” they wrote.
The House letter was spearheaded by Elaine Luria (D-Virginia) and Mike Gallagher (R-Wisconsin) and enjoyed the backing of members of both parties, including Congresswoman Yvette Clarke of the 9th Congressional District in New York.
“The Court’s recent announcements are examples of how politics have been infused into the judicial process and distorted the purposes for which the court was established,” they wrote.
“We look forward to working together to ensure the safety of Americans and Israelis while also encouraging accountability and justice,” they concluded the letter.
The Senate letter to Pompeo explained that “by accepting Palestinian territorial claims over the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza, the Prosecutor is making a political judgment that biases any subsequent investigation or trial.”
The impact of the letters, supported by the pro-Israeli lobby AIPAC, is to put on the record congressional support for positions already embraced by the Trump administration, which is committed to thwarting ICC prosecutions of Americans and Israelis, JTA reported.
2020.05.12 Luria Gallagher letter to Sec Pompeo on ICC
