The US government has condemned the International Criminal Court (ICC)'s latest effort to assert its jursdiction over Israeli-occupied territories including East Jerusalem as a politically-motivated maneuver, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th May, 2020) The US government has condemned the International Criminal Court (ICC)'s latest effort to assert its jursdiction over Israeli-occupied territories including East Jerusalem as a politically-motivated maneuver, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement.
"The International Criminal Court is a political body, not a judicial institution," the statement said on Friday. "This unfortunate reality has been confirmed yet again by the ICC Prosecutor's attempt to assert jurisdiction over Israel, which like the United States, is not a party to the Rome Statute that created the Court."
On April 30, ICC Prosecutor Ftou Bensouida reaffirmed her attempt to exercise jurisdiction over the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza through a new filing to the Court, Pompeo noted.
The US government does not believe the Palestinians qualify as a sovereign state and they therefore are not qualified to obtain full membership, or participate as a state in international organizations, entities, or conferences, including the ICC, Pompeo said.
