Abbas’ P.A. Seeking Non-Member State Status in U.N. So It Can Pursue War Crimes Allegations against Israel through International Court
ZOA
NEW YORK, April 12, 2012 — Mahmoud Abbas’ Palestinian Authority (PA) is seeking non-state membership in the United Nations so that it may then apply to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for an investigation into alleged Israeli war crimes. “The Obama Administration needs to state publicly that the award of statehood status by the UN and any subsequent action by the PA to bring a war crimes suit against Israel in the ICC will result in an end to U.S. aid and diplomatic support for the PA.”
According to PLO observer at the UN, Riyad Mansour, Palestine can still pursue an investigation into possible Israeli war crimes during Operation Cast Lead, the Israeli counter-terrorist operation in Gaza during December 2008-January 2009. On April 3, the ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo rejected the PA’s request for a tribunal into the December 2008 war, because the PA is not a recognized state, but noted that the PA, if it becomes a non-member state, could sign the Rome Statute, which established the ICC. At that point, the PA could bring an action against Israel in the ICC. Moreno-Ocampo said, “As soon as the General Assembly establishes that Palestine is an observer state, then we can proceed.” The PA’s Mansour said that, “The doors are still open for us if we decide to sign the Rome Statute, or go to the UN General Assembly asking to become a non-member state. This is left for the Palestinian leadership to determine” (‘PLO envoy: Palestine can join ICC,’ Palestinian Maan News Agency, April 4, 2012).
ZOA National Chairman of the Board Dr. Michael Goldblatt said, “Ruyad Mansour’s statement is but the latest confirmation that Mahmoud Abbas and the PA are pursuing statehood to evade, rather than make peace with, Israel. As Abbas said in his otherwise dishonest op-ed in the New York Times last year, ‘Palestine’s admission to the United Nations would pave the way for the internationalization of the conflict as a legal matter, not only a political one. It would also pave the way for us to pursue claims against Israel at the United Nations, human rights treaty bodies and the International Court of Justice.’
“We see here very clearly that the PA is pursuing statehood, as it commenced doing at the UN last year, for specific reasons. It is seeking new avenues to advance its campaign of delegitimizing Israel. This has nothing to do with peace-making or establishing the conditions that would permit peace to emerge, like arresting terrorists, outlawing terrorist groups, ending terrorism and incitement to hatred and murder against Israel and Jews or ceasing to falsify history by denying any Jewish right or historical connection to Israel. It has everything to do with achieving statehood, without making peace with the country it works ceaselessly to delegitimize.
About the ZOA
The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) is the oldest and one of the largest pro-Israel organizations in the United States. With offices around the country and in Israel, the ZOA educates the public, elected officials, the media, and college/high school students about the truth of the ongoing Arab war against Israel. The ZOA works to strengthen U.S.-Israel relations through educational activities, public affairs programs and our work on Capitol Hill, and to combat anti-Semitism and anti-Israel bias in the media, in textbooks, in schools and on college campuses. Under the leadership of such presidents as Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, Rabbis Abba Hillel Silver and Stephen Wise, and current President Morton A. Klein, the ZOA has been – and continues to be – on the front lines of Jewish activism. www.zoa.org.
Obama and Hillary just gave the PA $187 million dollars, against the wishes of congressional Republicans. plus over one billion to the Jew haters in Egypt.
Any Jew that votes for Obama is screwing Israel as well as the U.S. When will we ever learn? Let us pray it is November 2012.
I totally Agree Laura.
It is a crime against humanity that Americans are forced via their taxes to finance the genocidal Palestinian Authority Occupation Forces and PA Muslims.
Thousands of PA Muslims celebrated with great joy the cruel slaughter of our cherished 3,000 on 9/11. PA Muslims danced in the streets, passed out candy and fired into the air. WHAT A CRIME we reward these haters with our tax dollars.
@ Laura:
I agree that Israel would be justified in trying to take the Arabs to court, Laura; but that would be like trying to get Al Capone to pass judgment against one of his hit men.
Whenever I see a posting, like ZOA’s, the “the US” must do this or that, all I can do is think about the upcoming elections; because who “the US” is will pretty much be determined there. If Obama is re-elected, “the US” will not resemble anything like what the US has been even up to this point. Congressional majority or no, if Obama is re-elected, he will be Commander in Chief with power to declare martial law any time he wishes; and I don’t think he will have any compunction about doing so. He also dictates what our ambassador says at the UN, and has many other powers. The only thing restraining him so far, has been concern about getting re-elected. That concern will vanish in November.
According to the latest polls, Obama still leads in Florida, Iowa and Virginia. Romney will have to win them, plus either Ohio or Minnesota, to win the election; and he will be running with a cash reserve imbalance of about 1:5 compared to King Obama. It’s really an uphill battle. I’m glad Santorum dropped out, to simplify things.
Why doesn’t Israel pursue war crimes allegations against the fakestinians for the thousands of rocket attacks, the Fogel family massacre and the numerous other terrorist attacks on Israelis?