Russia said today that the US is showing hypocrisy by opposing an International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation against Israel, while at the same time supporting the court order for the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
The ICC, which can try individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, is investigating the attack by the Palestinian movement “Hamas” against Israel and Israel's devastating retaliatory campaign against the “Hamas“ the Gaza Strip, which is already being fought for the seventh month.
Yesterday, White House spokeswoman Karin Jean-Pierre said the US does not support an ICC investigation into Israel and does not believe the court has the authority to do so. The US president said last year that the ICC's decision to issue an arrest warrant for Putin was justified. The US has shared details with the ICC about alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine. Russia said the arrest warrant against Putin was a futile attempt by the West to tarnish Russia's reputation.
„Washington fully supported, if not encouraged, the issuance of the ICC arrest warrant against the Russian leadership”, wrote on the social network “Telegram” the spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova. At the same time, she added that “the American political system does not recognize the legitimacy of the body in relation to itself and its satellites”. According to her, such a position is “intellectually absurd”.
The Kremlin called the issuance of the order against Putin outrageous and legally invalid, as Russia is not a party to the treaty that created the ICC. Israel is not a member of the ICC, while the Palestinian territories were admitted as a member state in 2015. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that the ICC rulings would not affect Israel's actions, but would set a dangerous precedent.