Arsen Ostrovsky
🔴 BIG win for Israel and justice, against Palestinian lawfare campaign at the @IntlCrimCourt, with Appeals Chamber ruling the lower court made "error of law" in failing to properly consider Israel's challenge to the court's jurisdiction, and ordered it to reconsider the issue. Our organization, @The_ILF, had also made a submission to the Court, which made it crystal clear, the court had no jurisdiction whatsoever in this matter to issue warrants against PM Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Gallant, or any Israeli national for that matter, not least due to fact Israel is not a member of the ICC or signatory to the Rome Statue. For now, this is an important win, but not yet full victory, as the case is still alive and the warrants have not been frozen. In the short term though, it is likely that more countries, especially in Europe, or those who were equivocating, will not seek to enforce the warrants, as serious doubt exists on jurisdiction. It may also push back against some other lawfare campaigns against Israel in the international legal arena. Perhaps instead of hounding Israeli leaders, the ICC Prosecutor might have more time on his hands now to answer the very serious charges of sexual harassment leveled against him (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14477359/british-law-chief-war-crimes-israel-sexual-assault.html). In the meantime, the heavy U.S. sanctions placed on the ICC and Prosecutor Khan by Pres. Trump, will remain in place, and should remain in place, until the Court once and for all dismisses these utterly absurd and baseless warrants. Not only is there no merit to these mendacious charges, the Court never had jurisdiction to even hear them in the first place. Khan's pursuit of the warrants was the most egregious and unprecedented abuse of the Rule of Law and the international legal framework. Hopefully the lower chamber understands the gravity of the situation and its absolute absence of jurisdiction, and dismisses this case immediately.
