Palestine's nonviolent, multilateral gambit

Why punishing Palestine for joining the International Criminal Court is a ridiculous overreaction

(Image credit: (REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman))

To hear the condemnations from members of Congress, you'd think the Palestinian Liberation Organization had returned to armed struggle. But no, it's Palestinian nonviolence — specifically, the decision by the State of Palestine to join the International Criminal Court — that's being called "deplorable, counterproductive."

Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) went the furthest, introducing a bill last Wednesday that would cut off U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority if it did not cease action at the ICC. "Certainly, groups that threaten Israel cannot be allies of the U.S.," Paul said. "I will continue to do everything in my power to make sure this president and this Congress stop treating Israel's enemies as American allies."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us

Matthew Duss is president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace, based in Washington, DC.