European Parliament committee calls to prosecute Israel for war crimes

PARIS — The Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament (EP) on Tuesday called on EU leadership to assist the International Criminal Court in The Hague in probing and prosecuting Israel over alleged war crimes in Palestinian territories.

Forty-one members of the committee voted in favor of the resolution draft, put forward by the committee’s rapporteur, Evin Incir of the Swedish Social Democrats party. Twenty-four parliamentarians opposed it and nine abstained. 

The resolution of the committee, expected to be voted on at the EP plenum on July 15, refers to a December 2022 resolution by the United Nations, initiated by the Palestinians, requesting the International Court formulate an opinion on the legal consequences of Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories. It is unclear, however, if the sponsors have majority to pass it, and next steps if it passes.

A month before the resolution was adopted, former Prime Minister Yair Lapid warned that bringing the matter to the International Court would "only play into the hands of extremists."

After the December 2022 resolution, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the UN of "distorting historical facts." Netanyahu said that "like hundreds of the twisted decisions against Israel taken by the United Nations General Assembly over the years, today’s despicable decision will not bind the Israeli government. The Jewish nation is not an occupier in its own land and its own eternal capital, Jerusalem."

Tuesday’s resolution by the EP expresses concern "regarding the Israeli government’s decision to impose punitive measures against the Palestinian people, leadership and civil society, such as withholding funds and implementing a moratorium on construction plans in (West Bank) Area C."

This passage refers to Israel’s practice of withholding tax funds it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, over the Palestinian policy of paying stipends to families of imprisoned assailants. It also criticized Israel’s policy of demolishing homes and buildings constructed without building permits, including schools in small Palestinian villages funded by the EU.

The Parliament’s resolution also called on the EU to strengthen its ties with the Palestinian Authority. In a tweet posted after the debate, Incir wrote, "Palestinians have lived under occupation more than 50 years. The European Union must strengthen its cooperation with the Palestinian Authority, help the people and act to end the occupation."

European parliamentarian Charlie Weimers of the Sweden Democrats party slammed the resolution by the committee, arguing it was blaming Israel for all Palestinian ills. Weimers stated that “it is disgraceful that the European Parliament’s committee turns a blind eye to persistent Palestinian-sponsored terrorism," adding that "it is a travesty that the recommendation does not forcefully condemn Palestinian terrorism — one of the greatest obstacles to a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."