The Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) supports the initiative to establish a permanent and effective International Criminal Court (ICC), and urges the United States to take a lead role in this effort. The proposed ICC, scheduled to be the subject of a major diplomatic conference in Rome in 1998, would be empowered to prosecute individuals accused of serious violations of international law, particularly genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. 

The JCPA views the establishment of this permanent judicial forum with appropriate safeguards to avoid politicizing the process– building upon the ad hoc tribunals set up in recent years to address violations in Bosnia and Rwanda — as an important step forward in securing international human rights. The ICC also would provide a mechanism for enforcing the Genocide Convention, a treaty the JCPA has long supported. 

Jewish tradition teaches that none may remain indifferent to human suffering. The JCPA’s support for the ICC reflects our community’s fundamental commitment to the protection of human rights and dignity for all peoples. 

-end-