Geert Wilders Call for Ouster of Chief Prosecutor of ICC in “War Crimes” Probe of Israel

Edited by: TJVNews.com

Geert Wilders, head of the Netherlands Party for Freedom (PVV), is calling on his country to expel the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Fatou Bensouda, who last week announced her intention to investigate Israel for “war crimes” in Palestinian Authority (PA)-assigned territories, as was reported by Israel National News.

“The International Criminal Court has no authority at all here and behaves as a biased pro-Palestinian institution and an anti-Semitic kangaroo court,” Wilders tweeted on Thursday.

“The ICC prosecutor Bensouda should be declared persona non grata and be evicted out of The Netherlands,” he added, according to the INN report. 

Wilders, who is a vocal opponent of Muslim immigration to the Netherlands and European integration, is also a strong supporter of Israel.

Fatou Bensouda stated that “following a thorough, independent and objective assessment of all reliable information available to my Office,” she has concluded that a preliminary examination was warranted “into the situation in Palestine” which started in early 2015. Her office found that there is a “reasonable basis to believe that war crimes were committed in the context of the 2014 hostilities in Gaza.”

The Times of Israel reported that Bensouda acknowledged that The Hague may not have the jurisdiction to legally handle matters pertaining to Israel/Palestine. She subsequently asked for a ruling by three judges who are currently on the ICC in order that they may make a determination of the scope of the court’s territorial jurisdiction.

Vois Es Nais reported that Bensouda’s 112-page report asked the court to decide whether it has jurisdiction over Israel, which like the United States is not a party to the treaty that constitutes the court’s mandate. The Palestinian Authority is party to the treaty.

Israel maintains the court has no jurisdiction because Israel has a functioning judicial system that can exercise proper oversight of its leaders.

Bensouda’s decision has been denounced by Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who said this week her decision to investigate Israel and described it as “pure anti-Semitism”.

INN reported that Wilders is known for his anti-Islam rhetoric, which has in the past sparked outrage around the Muslim world and prompted death threats that have led to him living under round-the-clock protection.

In 2015, Wilders caused a storm in his country after he announced plans to broadcast cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad, the founder of Islam, on national television.

In June, he called for the transfer of Palestinian Authority residents from Judea and Samaria to Jordan, as an alternative to the US-backed “Deal of the Century” Middle East peace plan.