Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Prime Minister, has accused the International Criminal Court (ICC) of anti-semitism following the announcement of the ICC’s Chief Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, that she would launch a full investigation into war crimes committed in Palestinian controlled land.
The investigation would examine war crimes committed in the West Bank and will include the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.
Speaking on the announcement, Netanyahu described the move as “pure anti-semitism”. He further stated;
“New edicts are being cast against the Jewish people - anti-Semitic edicts by the International Criminal Court telling us that we, the Jews standing here next to this wall ... in this city, in this country, have no right to live here and that by doing so, we are committing a war crime”.
He further maintained that the ICC has no jurisdiction to investigate Palestinian territories as they may only examine matters submitted by a sovereign state. However, Palestinian authorities have contested this decision and have signed up to the ICC despite Israel not having done so.
Read more from Reuters here.