1 Schlaglicht Israel Nr. 3/21 Aktuelles Aus Israelischen
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Schlaglicht Israel Nr. 3/21 Aktuelles aus israelischen Tageszeitungen 1.-15. Februar Die Themen dieser Ausgabe 1. Internationaler Strafgerichtshof erklärt Ermittlungen in den von Israel besetzten Gebieten für möglich .............. 1 2. Endspurt vor den Parlamentswahlen ............................................................................................................................ 4 3. Langsame Lockerungen der Corona-Beschränkungen ............................................................................................... 6 4. Medienquerschnitt ........................................................................................................................................................... 8 1. Internationaler Strafgerichtshof erklärt The ICC's decision is a red flag for Israel Ermittlungen in den von Israel besetzten The International Criminal Court’s ruling that it has Gebieten für möglich jurisdiction over the occupied territories and East Unwirsch reagierte Regierungschef Benjamin Jerusalem has predictably sparked angry reactions Netanyahu auf die Entscheidung des Internationalen in Israel. (…). The court didn’t rule that Israel was Strafgerichtshofs (IStGH), Ermittlungen gegen Israel guilty of war crimes; it merely responded to a re- wegen Kriegsverbrechen in den palästinensischen quest from prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, who asked Gebieten zu ermöglichen. Netanyahu sprach von the pretrial chamber of judges to rule on the funda- "purem Antisemitismus". Israel werde diese „Ver- mental question of the court’s territorial jurisdiction. drehung des Rechts mit allen Mitteln bekämpfen". Nor is there any connection between the fact that Die Richter_innen des IStGH hatten ihre Zuständig- Israel is a democracy and the commission of prima keit für die von Israel besetzten palästinensischen facie war crimes. Democracies have committed and Gebiete, das Westjordanland, den Gazastreifen und still commit war crimes, and the fact that they are Ostjerusalem, erklärt. Die Entscheidung betreffe democracies doesn’t grant them immunity from ausdrücklich nicht die Frage der "Staatlichkeit" Pa- investigation or prosecution. lästinas oder etwaige Grenzstreitigkeiten – die Re- Israel’s complaint that the ICC ignores real war gion solle aber dem "Recht des palästinensischen crimes and is “persecuting” it for political reasons Volkes auf Selbstbestimmung" entsprechend be- tells us more about Israel than it does about the handelt werden. Israel selbst ist keine Vertragspartei court. Israel has failed to understand that its very des Gerichtshofs. Bereits vor zwei Jahren erklärte status as a democratic, law-abiding country obli- Chefanklägerin Fatou Bensouda, dass es eine gates it to uphold higher standards than those de- Grundlage gebe, auf der eine Untersuchung wegen manded of countries like Iran, Syria or Sudan. (…) möglicher israelischer Kriegsverbrechen eröffnet The most important part of the decision is its recog- werden könnte. Auf der Grundlage der jetzigen nition of Palestine as a state with the right to seek Entscheidung könnte der IStGH allerdings auch redress from the court. (…) Israel should view the Ermittlungen gegen die Hamas oder andere palästi- judges’ decision, which paves the way for an inves- nensische Terrorgruppen einleiten. In Ramallah tigation into its conduct in the territories, as a red stieß die Entscheidung des IStGH erwartungsge- flag. Israel now has the status of a suspect state, mäß auf Zustimmung. Jetzt zeige sich, dass der and it must present its arguments and its interpreta- Weg nach Den Haag der richtige gewesen sei, ver- tion of the incidents the court will investigate. Throw- lautete aus palästinensischen Führungskreisen. ing mud at the ICC and refusing to cooperate with 1 the investigation won’t acquit it if its guilt is in fact not meet any of these conditions, and thus the deci- ultimately proved. sion to allow the investigation and potential prosecu- Editorial, HAA, 07.02.21 tion of Israelis is thus a flagrant violation of the ICC's own rules and procedures. (…) The ICC's decision The ICC has put Palestinians on global agenda is dangerous for Israel because the court is author- once again ized to investigate only individuals, not countries. The Palestinians began their moves against Israel at (…) ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda can the International Criminal Court in January 2015. summon Israeli prime ministers, defense ministers, They lit the flame, clad themselves in endless pa- senior military officers and officials for questioning. If tience - they call it legal steadfastness - and waited. they refuse to appear, as they are likely to do, she And now that forbearance has paid off with the an- can issue warrants for their arrest. Theoretically, all nouncement of potential war crimes probes. (…) In 122 ICC member states would then be obliged to less than a year, Israel has shifted from a situation arrest and extradite these individuals. (...) Washing- of unprecedented American normalization of the ton and Jerusalem should (…) conduct a worldwide settlements (…) and near-West Bank annexation to public diplomacy campaign to delegitimize and deter the possibility of those involved in the settlement the ICC. enterprise being investigated as war criminals. (…) Eytan Gilboa, IHY, 10.02.21 Israeli politics is moving more and more to the right, a reflection of the fear felt by many Israelis of a The Legal Flaws of ICC’s Jurisdiction Ruling radical change in the status quo. (…) The next Is- (…) it is apparent that the Majority Opinion is tragi- raeli government (…) will have to define its outline cally flawed and entirely inconsistent with proper for future relations with the Palestinians and stand jurisprudence. (…) the Prosecutor’s request for a by it. If the Israeli endgame does indeed include ruling (…) demonstrates both her bias and that of Palestinian statehood, it has to be said publicly and the Chamber. Referring to it as “Palestinian territory the conditions for its existence must be specified in occupied by Israel during the Six-Day War in June a way that will not lead to a Hamastan - or worse, a 1967,” and consistently referring throughout the Palestinian Syria - within a few years. And if this is Majority Opinion to “Occupied Palestinian Territory,” not the case, Israel has to stand behind this decision pre-judges the issue. (…) nothing in the Rome Stat- too. It must state where Palestinian autonomy is ute nor the Majority Opinion gives Palestine the right headed and what it sees as the nature of its rela- to accede to jurisdiction over Israel or Israelis. Yet tions with Gaza. It would be a mistake to deal with the Majority Opinion simply ignores this discrepancy, The Hague solely as a legal issue. (…) and assumes that because Palestine joined the Shimrit Meir, YED, 07.02.21 Rome Statute, it allows ICC jurisdiction (…) for acts by anyone in Palestine’s self-declared borders. (…) ICC's ruling on Israel is baseless but dangerous It was the Oslo Accords that created the Palestinian The decision of the International Criminal Court in Authority (…), so one would think that the terms of The Hague (…) is baseless but still dangerous and that agreement would govern the scope of State of must be thwarted. (…) only sovereign states can file Palestine’s authority to delegate jurisdiction to the complaints to the court, and Palestine is not a sov- ICC for acts allegedly occurring within that the bor- ereign state. Moreover, the ICC can investigate only ders of that “State.” Neither Palestine nor the ICC countries that have signed the Rome Statute, which should be able to cherry-pick among the portions of established the court. Israel, along with the United the Oslo Accords for those that allow actions, but States and 70 other countries, did not join the ICC disregard those that prohibit actions. (…) The very precisely because they suspected it would be an- instrument that creates the entity that “accedes” to other highly biased and politicized United Nations ICC jurisdiction expressly says that no such jurisdic- body. That is exactly what it turned out to be. Fur- tion exists. It is a common legal principle: one can- thermore, the ICC was founded in 2002 to investi- not transfer authority that one does not have. (…) gate serious crimes against humanity and war David H. Levitt, TOI, 08.02.21 crimes, such as genocide, committed by countries not able to credibly carry out such investigations On the international battlefield themselves. Israel is a vibrant democracy with an The decision by International Criminal Court judges independent judiciary that investigates violations of that the Palestinian Authority is a state and therefore the laws of war. The Israeli-Palestinian case does the ICC can launch an investigation against Israel 2 into alleged "war crimes" in the PA adds to the other international bodies. The court’s recent deci- sense that law is part of politics and bolsters Israel's sion demonstrates that such a smart and consistent feeling that it is under siege. (…) The concern is that legal strategy pays off. (…) after the investigations, secret arrest warrants will be Daphné Richemond-Barak, JPO, 14.02.21 issued for former military commanders or political leaders. (…) For now, no concrete action is ex- Israel must fight back against the ICC pected until the summer, when ICC Chief Prosecutor (…) the ICC did not serve as a factor in halting some Fatou Bensouda is slated to step down. (…) One of the most serious alleged abuses of human rights tactic that could be effective is a new