Israel's declaration upon signing the Rome Statute of the ICC
Israel's declaration upon signing
(without ratifying) the Rome Statute of the ICC on 31 December 2000:
"Being an active consistent supporter of the concept of an
International Criminal Court, and its realization in the form of the Rome
Statute, the Government of the State of Israel is proud to thus express its
acknowledgment of the importance, and indeed indispensability, of an effective
court for the enforcement of the rule of law and the prevention of impunity.
As one of
the originators of the concept of an International Criminal Court, Israel,
through its prominent lawyers and statesmen, has, since the early 1950’s,
actively participated in all stages of the formation of such a court. Its
representatives, carrying in both heart and mind collective, and sometimes
personal, memories of the holocaust - the greatest and most heinous crime to
have been committed in the history of mankind - enthusiastically, with a sense
of acute sincerity and seriousness, contributed to all stages of the
preparation of the Statute. Responsibly, possessing the same sense of mission,
they currently support the work of the ICC Preparatory Commission.
At the 1998
Rome Conference, Israel expressed its deep disappointment and regret at the
insertion into the Statute of formulations tailored to meet the political
agenda of certain states. Israel warned that such an unfortunate practice might
reflect on the intent to abuse the Statute as a political tool. Today, in the
same spirit, the Government of the State of Israel signs the Statute while
rejecting any attempt to interpret provisions thereof in a politically
motivated manner against Israel and its citizens. The Government of Israel
hopes that Israel’s expressions of concern of any such attempt would be
recorded in history as a warning against the risk of politicization, that might
undermine the objectives of what is intended to become a central impartial
body, benefiting mankind as a whole.
Nevertheless,
as a democratic society, Israel has been conducting
ongoing political, pand academic debates concerning the ICC and its
significance in the context of international law and the international
community. The Court’s essentiality - as a vital means of ensuring that
criminals who commit genuinely heinous crimes will be duly brought to justice,
while other potential offenders of the fundamental principles of humanity and
the dictates of public conscience will be properly deterred - has never seized
to guide us. Israel’s signature of the Rome Statute will, therefore, enable it
to morally identify with this basic idea, underlying the establishment of the
Court.
Today, [the
Government of Israel is] honoured to express [its] sincere hopes that the
Court, guided by the cardinal judicial principles of objectivity and
universality, will indeed serve its noble and meritorious objectives.”
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