Israeli PM slams ICC 'perversion of justice'

Israel accused the International Criminal Court of "pure anti-Semitism" after it announced on Friday its jurisdiction extends to territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war.

The court's decision potentially clears the way for its chief prosecutor to open a war crimes probe into Israeli military actions.

"When the ICC investigates Israel for fake war crimes, this is pure anti-Semitism," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a recorded statement released after midnight (2200 GMT).

"The court established to prevent atrocities like the Nazi Holocaust against the Jewish people is now targeting the one state of the Jewish people."

He also accused the court of having a double standard.

"The ICC refuses to investigate brutal dictatorships like Iran and Syria, who commit horrific atrocities almost daily," he said.

"I assure you we will fight this perversion of justice with all our might."

The ICC's chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, said in 2019 that there was a "reasonable basis" to open a war crimes probe into Israeli military actions in the Gaza Strip as well as Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank.

But she asked the court to determine whether she has territorial jurisdiction before proceeding.

In a statement on Twitter, Bensouda's office welcomed the “judicial clarity” of the ruling, but said it needed time before deciding how to proceed.

The court could also potentially investigate crimes committed by Palestinian militants.

Bensouda has said her probe would look into the actions of Hamas, which fired rockets indiscriminately into Israel during the 2014 war.

(Image Credit: AP)