The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the US Conference of Presidents called "correct and appropriate" the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) announcement that the Court has no jurisdiction over claims by representatives of the Palestinian Authority against Israel because "Palestine" does not qualify as a state, and thus is not under the jurisdiction of the ICC.
The Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC issued this long-awaited decision in response to a January 2009 attempt by an official in the Palestinian Authority to have the "Government of Palestine" accept the jurisdiction of the ICC, and requesting the ICC investigate "acts committed by Israel on the territory of Palestine since 1 July 2002."
"The ICC properly concluded that it cannot exercise jurisdiction over Palestine because it does not have the status of a state as required by the treaty establishing the Court," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director.
"There is one path to internationally recognized statehood for the Palestinians and that is through bilateral negotiations with Israel. This is the clearly stated position of the international community, as articulated by the Quartet," he added.
"The Palestinian Authority has sought to use the court as they have other international bodies as a vehicle to bypass direct negotiations with Israel. In doing so, they have diverted those bodies from their legitimate responsibilities," said Richard Stone, Chairman, and Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman, of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
In a recent visit of the Conference of Presidents to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, "we vigorously raised the legal issues presented in the Palestinian Authority’s claim, particularly the issue that only states can assert the court’s jurisdiction. Had the court proceeded, it would have set a dangerous precedent and the case would have been the basis for legal and political mischief that would have undermined the court’s standing."
"We hope that in the future such blatant attempts to hijack international institutions by the Palestinian Authority will be rejected immediately and that the PA be given the clear message that they must return to the negotiating table and engage seriously with Israel," said Stone and Hoenlein.

EJP