Netanyahu asked Biden in his first phone call last week to uphold the sanctions imposed by the Trump administration on the International Criminal Court (ICC), Israeli officials tell me.
Why it’s important: Israeli officials are concerned that the removal of sanctions would hamper Israel’s efforts to stop a possible investigation into war crimes against Israel and that the court prosecutor could consider it a sign that the US is not firmly opposed. to this research.
The big picture: ICC judges paved the way for a potential investigation last month when they ruled the court has jurisdiction in the West Bank and Gaza. (Israel is not part of the Rome Statute, which set the court’s mandate, but it is the Palestinian territories).
- Israel is very concerned that any investigation could lead to international arrest warrants against Israeli officials and the military and could increase BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) campaigns against Israel.
- Israel asked dozens of allies to send a “discreet message” urging ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda not to proceed with the investigation, Axios reported two weeks ago.
Flashback: While not part of the Rome Statute either, the United States has had its own clashes with the ICC, which last March chose an investigation into the war in Afghanistan, which could involve northern troops. Americans and the CIA.
- The Trump administration reacted furiously, imposing sanctions on ICC officials, including Bensouda, and threatening to sanction court judges next.
- Secretary of State Mike Pompeo promised new steps if the ICC opened an investigation into Israel.
The state of play: Israeli diplomats have presented the case to their US counterparts who, even if the administration disagrees with the sanctions, should keep them in place as a lever to convince Bensouda and his successor not to continue the sanctions. investigations into Afghanistan or the West Bank and Gaza.
- The issue was raised in a recent phone call between Ashkenazi and Blinken, Israeli officials say.
What they say: “In my phone call with President Biden, we talked about our moral obligation to protect our troops against those who try to defame their morale with false claims,” Netanyahu said last Thursday at a memorial service for missing soldiers. in action.
- His comments went unnoticed, but Israeli officials tell me he hinted at possible ICC investigations into Israeli and American soldiers.
- Netanyahu’s office declined to comment on the story, as did the White House and the State Department.