Statute of Rome
Daniel Dennett | 16.12.2009 09:56
The Statute of Rome can't be changed for Israeli war criminals without letting the Nazi war criminals off as well.
Livni's future travels
Britain pledged Tuesday to reform the Rome Statute that lets judges order the arrest of visiting war criminals.
Lawyers working with Palestinian activists in recent years have sought the arrest of senior Israeli war criminals under terms of universal jurisdiction. This well-defined legal concept empowers judges to issue arrest warrants for visiting officials accused of war crimes in a foreign conflict.
Their latest target is war criminal Tzipi Livni, Israel's former foreign minister and current opposition leader, who staunchly defends Israel's slaughter of babies in the Gaza Strip last January.
Foreign Secretary David Miliband later announced that Britain would no longer tolerate the enforcement of the Rome Statute if it was aimed at Israeli or Nazi war criminals.
Speaking after meeting Israel's London ambassador Tuesday night, Miliband said the Rome Statute must be reviewed and reformed.
Any amendment to the Rome Statute requires the support of a two-thirds majority of the states parties, and an amendment will not enter into force until it has been ratified by seven-eighths of the states parties. Any amendment to the list of crimes within the jurisdiction of the court will only apply to those states parties that have ratified it.
As of October 2009, 110 countries have ratified or acceded to the Rome Statute, including all of South America, most of Europe, and roughly half the countries in Africa.
Daniel Dennett