The ICC’s dangerous gamble – undermining democracies while aiding terrorists
The ICC’s actions risk emboldening terrorist organizations while undermining the Court’s own legitimacy
With global conflicts intensifying in Europe and the Middle East, the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) recent decision to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant raises critical concerns about the Court’s role in modern warfare.
This unprecedented move—the first time the ICC has targeted leaders of a democratic state—raises broader questions about the ability of democracies to defend themselves without fear of politically motivated prosecution.
Since Hamas launched its deadly terrorist assault on Israel on October 7, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have been engaged in a military campaign to dismantle Hamas’s terrorist infrastructure. Under international law, Israel’s response is justified as self-defense. While Israel is doing its utmost to avoid civilian casualties, Hamas is using the civilian population of Gaza as human shields—a grave violation of the laws of war.
This well-documented war crime only exacerbates the human toll. Because available figures come solely from Hamas-controlled sources, which fail to distinguish between combatants and civilians, it is nearly impossible to make accurate casualty assessments.
Despite this lack of reliable data and with hostilities ongoing, the ICC issued its warrants, also ignoring the principle of complementarity, which mandates that the ICC only intervene when national legal systems are unwilling or unable to prosecute war crimes.
Israel’s legal system can fully investigate such matters, as even the ICC Prosecutor has acknowledged. In contrast, Hamas has shown no intention of holding its own operatives accountable for war crimes. War crimes against the civilian population are, in fact, a fundamental strategy employed by Hamas, as previously highlighted.
Raising a troubling historical parallel
The ICC’s actions raise a troubling historical parallel: would wartime leaders like Winston Churchill have faced accusations of war crimes had the ICC existed during World War II? Churchill’s difficult decisions, such as the bombing of German cities, were deemed necessary to secure victory. Similarly, Israel’s leaders face hard choices as they work to protect their citizens from an enemy openly committed to their annihilation. By targeting Israel, the ICC undermines the ability of democracies to defend themselves, setting a dangerous precedent for other nations.
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Watch:
If there was ever an be careful what you wish for moment in time, the ICC is living it. What’s that famous movie line that is so appropriate regarding this warrant? Oh ya, “Go ahead, make my day”.
Read on…..(all the while remembering that Trudeau literally couldn’t jump onboard the ICC bandwagon fast enough)
Another law empowers the United States to use military force against any country that honors an ICC warrant against a U.S. service member or a U.S. ally (such as Netanyahu). Senator Tom Cotton cited the American Service-Members’ Protection Act to warn, “Woe to him and anyone who tries to enforce these outlaw warrants. Let me give them all a friendly reminder: the American law on the ICC is known as The Hague Invasion Act for a reason. Think about it.” Israel is meanwhile well known for its ability to extradite people such as war criminal Adolf Eichmann from halfway across the world and, should the ICC actually manage to get Netanyahu into custody, it could wake up in the middle of the night to find not only Netanyahu gone but his captors in Israeli custody on charges of kidnapping. Were Israel to take the latter action, I would not say one word against it.
Should the International Criminal Court be Outlawed? – American Thinker