The ICC Red Line

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Jonathan Schanzer of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies explains, “The threat of the ICC is an Israeli red line that the Palestinians have crossed. The Israelis are now baring their teeth at the PA, threatening to not only withhold $100 million per month in taxes, but also to exert pressure on the U.S. Congress to deprive the West Bank government of funds that are vital to its survival.” This is symptomatic of the breakdown in responsible leadership in the PA and the utter incompetence of the Obama administration in raising and then dashing expectations for a peace deal. “This is a dangerous game the Palestinians have started,” says Schanzer. And yet cutting off all funds to the PA will have serious ramifications. “This episode raises yet again a nagging question that both Washington and Jerusalem have had a hard time answering in recent years: how to punish the PA without disrupting the delicate security situation. The Palestinians fully understand this conundrum, and they continue to exploit it. The ICC threat is only the latest example,” he cautions.

This move by Israel may also be the result of domestic Israeli politics. With an election upcoming Netanyahu wants to leave no doubt as to his seriousness in dealing with efforts to delegitimize the Jewish state.
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