84% of Israelis say ICC is a political body

Eighty-four percent of Israelis believe that the International Criminal Court is a political body, not a legal one, according to a new JNS poll. Twelve percent disagreed, while 5% of respondents had no opinion.

Respondents were asked a series of questions regarding their assessment of the ICC and how best to handle its actions against Israel, its security forces and its political leaders.

In recent weeks, the IDF’s Military Advocate General Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi opened criminal probes against IDF soldiers for alleged improper treatment of Hamas terrorists in Israeli military jails.

State Prosecutor Amit Eisman also opened investigations against two popular singers for saying that Gaza must be destroyed following Oct. 7. Their actions fomented a public uproar.

Both the Military Advocate General’s Unit and the State Prosecution have defended their actions by insisting that they help Israel defend itself before the ICC, whose prosecutor seeks international arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

JNS asked what the public thinks about Tomer-Yerushalmi’s claim that arresting IDF soldiers for allegedly mistreating detained Hamas terrorists shows that Israel is serious about dealing with violations of the laws of war and so protects IDF soldiers and commanders from international tribunals.

Asked whether these arrests were beneficial to Israel, 23% percent of respondents said that they were very helpful, 15% said they were somewhat helpful and 13% said that they would have no impact. Thirty-four percent said they believed the arrests were very harmful to Israel, 13% believed they were somewhat harmful, while 2% had no opinion.

Among military-aged Israelis (18-29), 47% believe the arrests were very harmful, 20% felt that they were somewhat harmful and 20% felt they would have no impact. Seven percent felt they were somewhat helpful, while a final 7% felt they were very helpful. Similar positions were voiced by Israelis aged 30-65. Only Israeli seniors believed Tomer Yerushalmi’s actions were more helpful than harmful.

Israelis were also split over the issue of which government agency should be responsible for handling the ICC threat.

Forty-five percent of Israelis overall believe that the responsibility for contending with the ICC should move from the State Attorney and the IDF Military Advocate General’s Unit to the Prime Minister’s Office and the Foreign Ministry. Forty-eight percent believe that legal authorities should retain responsibility for handling the issue, while 7% had no opinion.

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