For Israelis, ICC decision hypocritical, politicized
Families of the three Israeli youths kidnapped and killed in 2014 wonder why the ICC would not start with an investigation into these murders.
Families of the three Israeli youths kidnapped and murdered in the West Bank on June 12, 2014, condemned the decision by International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to open a probe against Israel, specifically over events that took place in Palestinian territories that year.
Reportedly, Bensouda intends to investigate incidents that occurred during the 2014 Gaza war that began June 13 that year. In other words, the ICC will not look into the kidnappings and murders of Eyal Yifrach, Gil-Ad Shaer and Naftali Frenkel.
In an open letter to the ICC, the families of Yifrach, Shaer and Frenkel said Bensouda’s decision was cruel and cynical. "Had Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda truly wanted to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity, she would have instructed [the court] to open a probe on the great crime that took place just the day before, on June 12, when our three children were kidnapped — three Jewish boys who only wanted to come home safely," they wrote.
The letter of the families adds another layer to this already very sensitive issue. Not only do many Israelis perceive the ICC as bias and politically motivated, but it has also become a personal matter. The ICC could very well target now former and current senior Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officers as well as Israeli politicians who held senior positions at the time of the 2014 Gaza war.
