WASHINGTON – The Trump administration announced plans Monday to shutter the Palestine Liberation Organization’s office in Washington – a move that drew an immediate rebuke from Palestinian officials who said the White House is trying to bully them.

The State Department's spokeswoman, Heather Nauert, said the administration was closing the office because the PLO has not been a productive partner in efforts to achieve a peace agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

"The PLO has not taken steps to advance the start of direct and meaningful negotiations with Israel," Nauert said in a statement Monday. "To the contrary, PLO leadership has condemned a U.S. peace plan they have not yet seen and refused to engage with the U.S. government with respect to peace efforts and otherwise.

"The United States continues to believe that direct negotiations between the two parties are the only way forward," she added. "This action should not be exploited by those who seek to act as spoilers to distract from the imperative of reaching a peace agreement. We are not retreating from our efforts to achieve a lasting and comprehensive peace."

Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, said in a statement Monday that Monday's announcement was "another affirmation of the Trump administration’s policy to collectively punish the Palestinian people, including by cutting financial support for humanitarian services including health and education."

In a related move, President Donald Trump's National Security Adviser, John Bolton, said on Monday the U.S. would slap sanctions on those who cooperate with any International Criminal Court investigation into alleged U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan. The ICC has long been controversial, with critics like Bolton suggesting it's a threat to American sovereignty. Supporters say the court offers a last-resort recourse for victims of genocide and other war crimes.

In a speech on Monday, Bolton called the ICC a “supranational tribunal that could supersede national sovereignties and directly prosecute individuals for alleged war crimes.”

The ICC was first envisioned in 1998 by the Rome Treaty as a tribunal that could prosecute genocide, war crimes and other crimes against humanity.

“As a court of last resort, it seeks to complement, not replace, national courts,” reads a statement on the ICC’s website.

"In theory, the ICC holds perpetrators of the most egregious atrocities accountable for their crimes, provides justice to the victims, and deters future abuses,” Bolton said in prepared remarks to the Federalist Society on Monday. “In practice, however, the court has been ineffective, unaccountable, and indeed, outright dangerous.”

The court has been a particularly difficult flashpoint between the U.S. and the Palestinians. That's because last year, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, speaking at the United Nations General Assembly, suggested taking the issue of Israeli settlements to the International Criminal Court.

Amnesty International criticized the administration's threat to the ICC.

“Rather than imposing sanctions, the United States should instead once and for all reaffirm its signature of the Rome Statute establishing the ICC, and support – not impede – its investigations," said Adotei Akwei, who is deputy director of advocacy and Government Relations at Amnesty International USA.

The Trump administration first threatened to close down the PLO's office in Washington last fall but later backed off. Bolton's decision to finalize that move will further inflame tensions between the U.S. and the Palestinians – coming on the heels of the Trump administration's decision to nix funding for U.S. aid to the West Bank and Gaza and to freeze support for the United Nation's program that supports Palestinian refugees.

"This dangerous escalation shows that the U.S. is willing to disband the international system in order to protect Israeli crimes and attacks against the land and people of Palestine as well as against peace and security in the rest of our region," Erekat said Monday.

He said the Palestinians would "take the necessary measures to protect the rights of our citizens living in the United States to access their consular services."</s>WASHINGTON – The Trump administration announced plans Monday to shutter the Palestine Liberation Organization’s office in Washington – a move that drew an immediate rebuke from Palestinian officials who said the White House is trying to bully them.

The State Department's spokeswoman, Heather Nauert, said the administration was closing the office because the PLO has not been a productive partner in efforts to achieve a peace agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

"The PLO has not taken steps to advance the start of direct and meaningful negotiations with Israel," Nauert said in a statement Monday. "To the contrary, PLO leadership has condemned a U.S. peace plan they have not yet seen and refused to engage with the U.S. government with respect to peace efforts and otherwise.

"The United States continues to believe that direct negotiations between the two parties are the only way forward," she added. "This action should not be exploited by those who seek to act as spoilers to distract from the imperative of reaching a peace agreement. We are not retreating from our efforts to achieve a lasting and comprehensive peace."

Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, said in a statement Monday that Monday's announcement was "another affirmation of the Trump Administration’s policy to collectively punish the Palestinian people, including by cutting financial support for humanitarian services including health and education."

In a related move, President Donald Trump's National Security Adviser, John Bolton, said on Monday the U.S. would slap sanctions on those who cooperate with any International Criminal Court investigation into alleged U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan. The ICC has long been controversial, with critics like Bolton suggesting it's a threat to American sovereignty. Supporters say the court offers a last-resort recourse for victims of genocide and other war crimes.

In a speech on Monday, Bolton called the ICC a “supranational tribunal that could supersede national sovereignties and directly prosecute individuals for alleged war crimes.”

The ICC was first envisioned in 1998 by the Rome Treaty as a tribunal that could prosecute genocide, war crimes, and other crimes against humanity.

“As a court of last resort, it seeks to complement, not replace, national courts,” reads a statement on the ICC’s website.

"In theory, the ICC holds perpetrators of the most egregious atrocities accountable for their crimes, provides justice to the victims, and deters future abuses,” Bolton said in prepared remarks to the Federalist Society on Monday. “In practice, however, the court has been ineffective, unaccountable, and indeed, outright dangerous.”

The court has been a particularly difficult flashpoint between the U.S. and the Palestinians. That's because last year, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, speaking at the United Nations General Assembly, suggested taking the issue of Israeli settlements to the International Criminal Court.

The Trump administration first threatened to close down the PLO's office in Washington last fall but later backed off. Bolton's decision to finalize that move will further inflame tensions between the U.S. and the Palestinians – coming on the heels of the Trump administration's decision to nix funding for U.S. aid to the West Bank and Gaza and to freeze support for the United Nation's program that supports Palestinian refugees.

"This dangerous escalation shows that the US is willing to disband the international system in order to protect Israeli crimes and attacks against the land and people of Palestine as well as against peace and security in the rest of our region," Erekat said Monday.

He said the Palestinians would "take the necessary measures to protect the rights of our citizens living in the United States to access their consular services."</s>WASHINGTON – White House National Security Adviser John Bolton unleashed a scathing attack Monday on the International Criminal Court, saying the Trump administration would sanction the court and ban its judges from the U.S. if it moves forward with a probe into alleged U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan.

"The United States will use any means necessary to protect our citizens and those of our allies from unjust prosecution by this illegitimate court," Bolton said in a speech Monday to the conservative Federalist Society. "The ICC is already dead to us."

The ICC has long been controversial, with critics like Bolton suggesting it's a threat to American sovereignty. Supporters say the international court offers recourse for victims of genocide and other war crimes in lawless countries.

The ICC was first envisioned in 1998 by the Rome Treaty as a tribunal that could prosecute genocide, war crimes and other crimes against humanity. “As a court of last resort, it seeks to complement, not replace, national courts,” the ICC says on its website.

In his speech Monday, Bolton blasted the ICC as a “supranational tribunal" that claims "unfettered discretion to investigate, charge, and prosecute individuals, regardless of whether their countries have acceded to the Rome Statute." The U.S. is not a signatory to the Rome agreement.

"In theory, the ICC holds perpetrators of the most egregious atrocities accountable for their crimes, provides justice to the victims, and deters future abuses,” Bolton told a receptive audience of Federal Society members. “In practice, however, the court has been ineffective, unaccountable, and indeed, outright dangerous.”

Bolton said he made the announcement now because the Trump administration feared the ICC was about to take action in the Afghanistan matter.

Last November, the court’s prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, announced plans to seek a probe into allegations that the U.S. military and CIA personnel were involved in acts of torture in Afghanistan.

"In due course, I will file my request for judicial authorization to open an investigation, submitting that there is a reasonable basis to believe that war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed in connection with the armed conflict in Afghanistan," she said at the time.

But Bolton cited another factor in his broadside against the ICC: a possible investigation of Israel, a key U.S. ally. The Palestinians asked the ICC in May to probe alleged human rights abuses by Israel.

"We will not allow the ICC, or any other organization, to constrain Israel's right to self defense," Bolton said Monday.

In a related move, the Trump administration announced Monday it would shutter the Palestine Liberation Organization’s office in Washington – a move that drew an immediate rebuke from Palestinian officials who said the White House is trying to bully them.

The State Department's spokeswoman, Heather Nauert, said the administration was closing the office because the PLO has not been a productive partner in efforts to achieve a peace agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

"The PLO has not taken steps to advance the start of direct and meaningful negotiations with Israel," Nauert said in a statement Monday. "To the contrary, PLO leadership has condemned a U.S. peace plan they have not yet seen and refused to engage with the U.S. government with respect to peace efforts and otherwise.

"The United States continues to believe that direct negotiations between the two parties are the only way forward," she added. "This action should not be exploited by those who seek to act as spoilers to distract from the imperative of reaching a peace agreement. We are not retreating from our efforts to achieve a lasting and comprehensive peace."

Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, said in a statement Monday that Monday's announcement was "another affirmation of the Trump administration’s policy to collectively punish the Palestinian people, including by cutting financial support for humanitarian services including health and education."

The Trump administration first threatened to close down the PLO's office in Washington last fall but later backed off. The State Department's decision to finalize that move will further inflame tensions between the U.S. and the Palestinians – coming on the heels of the Trump administration's decision to nix funding for U.S. aid to the West Bank and Gaza and to freeze support for the United Nation's program that supports Palestinian refugees.

"This dangerous escalation shows that the U.S. is willing to disband the international system in order to protect Israeli crimes and attacks against the land and people of Palestine as well as against peace and security in the rest of our region," Erekat said Monday.

He said the Palestinians would "take the necessary measures to protect the rights of our citizens living in the United States to access their consular services."

Human rights advocates and other critics said the twin moves would further undermine America's global standing and cripple U.S. efforts to be seen as a legitimate peace broker in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"The first casualty of this (ICC) decision is America’s credibility when it comes to international justice," said Brett Bruen, who served as director of global engagement in the Obama administration. Bruen said Obama tried to balance concerns about the ICC, in terms of its impact on U.S. national security and sovereignty, with America's role as a champion of rule of law around the world.

"What Bolton is essentially doing is taking one our most powerful deterrents and removing it from the equation, which will result in more gross human rights violations taking place in places like Venezuela and Myanmar," Bruen said. "It will ultimately result in more American blood and treasure having to be spent to remove those who are committing these kinds of war crimes."

Amnesty International also blasted the move and called on the U.S. to join the ICC as a full-fledged member.

“Rather than imposing sanctions, the United States should instead once and for all reaffirm its signature of the Rome Statute establishing the ICC, and support – not impede – its investigations," said Adotei Akwei, deputy director of advocacy and Government Relations at Amnesty International USA.</s>WASHINGTON – The Trump administration announced plans Monday to shutter the Palestine Liberation Organization’s office in Washington – a move that drew an immediate rebuke from Palestinian officials who said the White House is trying to bully them.

The State Department's spokeswoman, Heather Nauert, said the administration was closing the office because the PLO has not been a productive partner in efforts to achieve a peace agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

"The PLO has not taken steps to advance the start of direct and meaningful negotiations with Israel," Nauert said in a statement Monday. "To the contrary, PLO leadership has condemned a U.S. peace plan they have not yet seen and refused to engage with the U.S. government with respect to peace efforts and otherwise.

"The United States continues to believe that direct negotiations between the two parties are the only way forward," she added. "This action should not be exploited by those who seek to act as spoilers to distract from the imperative of reaching a peace agreement. We are not retreating from our efforts to achieve a lasting and comprehensive peace."

Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, said in a statement Monday that Monday's announcement was "another affirmation of the Trump administration’s policy to collectively punish the Palestinian people, including by cutting financial support for humanitarian services including health and education."

In a related move, President Donald Trump's National Security Adviser, John Bolton, said on Monday the U.S. would slap sanctions on those who cooperate with any International Criminal Court investigation into alleged U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan. The ICC has long been controversial, with critics like Bolton suggesting it's a threat to American sovereignty. Supporters say the court offers a last-resort recourse for victims of genocide and other war crimes.

In a speech on Monday, Bolton called the ICC a “supranational tribunal that could supersede national sovereignties and directly prosecute individuals for alleged war crimes.”

The ICC was first envisioned in 1998 by the Rome Treaty as a tribunal that could prosecute genocide, war crimes and other crimes against humanity.

“As a court of last resort, it seeks to complement, not replace, national courts,” reads a statement on the ICC’s website.

"In theory, the ICC holds perpetrators of the most egregious atrocities accountable for their crimes, provides justice to the victims, and deters future abuses,” Bolton said in prepared remarks to the Federalist Society on Monday. “In practice, however, the court has been ineffective, unaccountable, and indeed, outright dangerous.”

The court has been a particularly difficult flashpoint between the U.S. and the Palestinians. That's because last year, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, speaking at the United Nations General Assembly, suggested taking the issue of Israeli settlements to the International Criminal Court.

Amnesty International criticized the administration's threat to the ICC.

“Rather than imposing sanctions, the United States should instead once and for all reaffirm its signature of the Rome Statute establishing the ICC, and support – not impede – its investigations," said Adotei Akwei, who is deputy director of advocacy and Government Relations at Amnesty International USA.

The Trump administration first threatened to close down the PLO's office in Washington last fall but later backed off. Bolton's decision to finalize that move will further inflame tensions between the U.S. and the Palestinians – coming on the heels of the Trump administration's decision to nix funding for U.S. aid to the West Bank and Gaza and to freeze support for the United Nation's program that supports Palestinian refugees.

"This dangerous escalation shows that the U.S. is willing to disband the international system in order to protect Israeli crimes and attacks against the land and people of Palestine as well as against peace and security in the rest of our region," Erekat said Monday.

He said the Palestinians would "take the necessary measures to protect the rights of our citizens living in the United States to access their consular services."</s>WASHINGTON – The Trump administration will announce Monday plans to shutter the Palestine Liberation Organization’s office in Washington – a move that drew an immediate rebuke from Palestinian officials who said the White House is trying to bully them.

"We have been notified by a US official of their decision to close the Palestinian Mission to the US.," Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, said in a statement Monday. "This is yet another affirmation of the Trump Administration’s policy to collectively punish the Palestinian people, including by cutting financial support for humanitarian services including health and education."

Trump's National Security Adviser, John Bolton, plans to announce the move in a speech Monday before the Federalist Society, according to the Washington Post and other media.

The Post and other media also reported that Bolton will threaten to slap sanctions on those who cooperate with any International Criminal Court investigation into alleged U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan. The ICC has long been controversial, with critics like Bolton suggesting it's a threat to American sovereignty.

But it's also particularly difficult flashpoint between the U.S. and the Palestinians. That's because last year, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, speaking at the United Nations General Assembly, suggested taking the issue of Israeli settlements to the International Criminal Court.

The Trump administration first threatened to close down the PLO's office in Washington last fall but later backed off. Bolton's decision to finalize that move will further inflame tensions between the U.S. and the Palestinians – coming on the heels of the Trump administration's decision to nix funding for U.S. aid to the West Bank and Gaza and to freeze support for the United Nation's program that supports Palestinian refugees.

"This dangerous escalation shows that the US is willing to disband the international system in order to protect Israeli crimes and attacks against the land and people of Palestine as well as against peace and security in the rest of our region," Erekat said Monday.

He said the Palestinians would "take the necessary measures to protect the rights of our citizens living in the United States to access their consular services."</s>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration on Monday threatened tough action against the International Criminal Court should it try to prosecute Americans for alleged war crimes in Afghanistan and said the PLO's office in Washington would be closed for seeking to punish Israel through the court.

"The United States will use any means necessary to protect our citizens and those of our allies from unjust prosecution by this illegitimate court," national security adviser John Bolton told the Federalist Society, a conservative group, in his first major address since joining President Donald Trump's White House in April.

The U.S. response could include sanctions against ICC judges should such prosecutions proceed, Bolton warned.

He added that the Palestine Liberation Organization's office in Washington was being ordered closed out of concern about Palestinian attempts to prompt an ICC investigation of Israel.

Bolton said he did not believe the closure of the PLO office in Washington would shut the door on a long-delayed Arab-Israeli peace plan that Trump senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner has been developing for months.

He said the plan continued to be refined with an eye towards eventually proposing it.

The Palestinians said they were undeterred from going to the ICC. They deemed the planned PLO mission closure a new pressure tactic by a Trump administration that has slashed funding to a U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees and to hospitals in East Jerusalem, which Palestinians want as capital of a future state.

"We reiterate that the rights of the Palestinian people are not for sale, that we will not succumb to U.S. threats and bullying," Palestinian official Saeb Erekat said in a statement.

"Accordingly, we continue to call upon the International Criminal Court to open its immediate investigation into Israeli crimes."

Israel welcomed the Trump administration's move and accused the Palestinians of seeing the court as a way of sidestepping U.S.-sponsored bilateral talks. Those contacts stalled in 2014.

"The Palestinians' resort to the ICC and refusal to negotiate with Israel and the United States is not the way to advance peace, and it is good that the United States is taking a clear stand on this matter," said an Israeli official who requested anonymity.

'WILL NOT COOPERATE WITH ICC'

Bolton said the Trump administration "will fight back" if the ICC proceeds with opening an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by U.S. service members and intelligence professionals during the war in Afghanistan.

"The ICC prosecutor has requested to investigate these Americans for alleged detainee abuse, and perhaps more - an utterly unfounded, unjustifiable investigation," he said.

If such an inquiry goes ahead, the Trump administration will consider banning judges and prosecutors from entering the United States, put sanctions on any funds they have in the U.S. financial system and prosecute them in American courts, Bolton said.

"We will not cooperate with the ICC. We will provide no assistance to the ICC. We will not join the ICC. We will let the ICC die on its own. After all, for all intents and purposes, the ICC is already dead to us," he said.

In addition, the United States may negotiate more binding, bilateral agreements to prohibit nations from surrendering Americans to The Hague-based court, Bolton said.

The court's aim is to bring to justice the perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

The United States did not ratify the Rome treaty that established the ICC in 2002, with Republican President George W. Bush opposed to the court. Bush's Democratic successor, Barack Obama, took some steps to cooperate with it.

Palestinians have reacted with dismay to the U.S. funding cuts, warning that they could lead to more poverty and anger - among factors stoking their decades of conflict with Israel.

Trump ordered last week that $25 million earmarked for the care of Palestinians in East Jerusalem be directed elsewhere.

"This decision will create serious cash-flow problems at the hospitals and will necessarily create delays in life-saving and other urgent treatments," Walid Nammour, head of the network of six hospitals affected, told reporters on Monday. "Overall, the decision puts the health of 5 million Palestinians at risk."

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.</s>WASHINGTON – The Trump administration announced plans Monday to shutter the Palestine Liberation Organization’s office in Washington – a move that drew an immediate rebuke from Palestinian officials who said the White House is trying to bully them.

The State Department's spokeswoman, Heather Nauert, said the administration was closing the office because the PLO has not been a productive partner in efforts to achieve a peace agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

"The PLO has not taken steps to advance the start of direct and meaningful negotiations with Israel," Nauert said in a statement Monday. "To the contrary, PLO leadership has condemned a U.S. peace plan they have not yet seen and refused to engage with the U.S. government with respect to peace efforts and otherwise.

"The United States continues to believe that direct negotiations between the two parties are the only way forward," she added. "This action should not be exploited by those who seek to act as spoilers to distract from the imperative of reaching a peace agreement. We are not retreating from our efforts to achieve a lasting and comprehensive peace."

Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, said in a statement Monday that Monday's announcement was "another affirmation of the Trump administration’s policy to collectively punish the Palestinian people, including by cutting financial support for humanitarian services including health and education."

In a related move, President Donald Trump's National Security Adviser, John Bolton, said on Monday the U.S. would slap sanctions on those who cooperate with any International Criminal Court investigation into alleged U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan. The ICC has long been controversial, with critics like Bolton suggesting it's a threat to American sovereignty. Supporters say the court offers a last-resort recourse for victims of genocide and other war crimes.

In a speech on Monday, Bolton called the ICC a “supranational tribunal that could supersede national sovereignties and directly prosecute individuals for alleged war crimes.”

The ICC was first envisioned in 1998 by the Rome Treaty as a tribunal that could prosecute genocide, war crimes and other crimes against humanity.

“As a court of last resort, it seeks to complement, not replace, national courts,” reads a statement on the ICC’s website.

"In theory, the ICC holds perpetrators of the most egregious atrocities accountable for their crimes, provides justice to the victims, and deters future abuses,” Bolton said in prepared remarks to the Federalist Society on Monday. “In practice, however, the court has been ineffective, unaccountable, and indeed, outright dangerous.”

The court has been a particularly difficult flashpoint between the U.S. and the Palestinians. That's because last year, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, speaking at the United Nations General Assembly, suggested taking the issue of Israeli settlements to the International Criminal Court.

Amnesty International criticized the administration's threat to the ICC.

“Rather than imposing sanctions, the United States should instead once and for all reaffirm its signature of the Rome Statute establishing the ICC, and support – not impede – its investigations," said Adotei Akwei, who is deputy director of advocacy and Government Relations at Amnesty International USA.

The Trump administration first threatened to close down the PLO's office in Washington last fall but later backed off. Bolton's decision to finalize that move will further inflame tensions between the U.S. and the Palestinians – coming on the heels of the Trump administration's decision to nix funding for U.S. aid to the West Bank and Gaza and to freeze support for the United Nation's program that supports Palestinian refugees.

"This dangerous escalation shows that the U.S. is willing to disband the international system in order to protect Israeli crimes and attacks against the land and people of Palestine as well as against peace and security in the rest of our region," Erekat said Monday.

He said the Palestinians would "take the necessary measures to protect the rights of our citizens living in the United States to access their consular services."</s>WASHINGTON — The Trump administration ordered the closure of the Palestinian diplomatic mission in Washington on Monday and threatened sanctions against the International Criminal Court if it pursues investigations against the U.S., Israel, or other allies. The moves are likely to harden Palestinian resistance to the U.S. role as a peace broker.

The administration cited the refusal of Palestinian leaders to enter into peace talks with Israel as the reason for closing the Palestinian Liberation Organization office, although the U.S. has yet to present its plan to resolve the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The Palestinians accused the administration of dismantling decades of U.S. engagement with them.

Shortly after the State Department announcement, President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, John Bolton, launched a broadside against The Hague-based International Criminal Court. Bolton declared that the ICC “is already dead” to the U.S. He also threatened the court and its staff with sanctions if it proceeds with investigations into alleged war crimes by American troops in Afghanistan.

The closure of the PLO office — the latest in a series of moves targeting the Palestinians — was centred on the fact that no “direct and meaningful negotiations with Israel” are underway despite previous warnings, the State Department said. It said the decision was also in line with U.S. law, a reflection of congressional concerns and consistent with U.S. policy to oppose and punish Palestinian attempts to bring Israel before the ICC.

The administration had told the Palestinians last year that closure was a distinct possibility unless they agreed to sit to down with the Israelis. It has yet to release its own much-vaunted but largely unknown peace plan although it said it still intends to do so.

Instead of heeding the warning to resume talks, “PLO leadership has condemned a U.S. peace plan they have not yet seen and refused to engage with the U.S. government with respect to peace efforts and otherwise,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement. “As such, and reflecting congressional concerns, the administration has decided that the PLO office in Washington will close at this point.”

The Palestinian Authority says it will not abandon its principles following the U.S. decision.

The spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Nabil Abu Rdeneh, says the Palestinian Authority will maintain its “commitment to the resolutions of international legitimacy,” according to a written statement released Monday.

Rdeneh says key issues, including the status of Palestinian refugees, “are more important than the relationship with the United States.”

Bolton followed up in his address to The Federalist Society, a conservative, Washington-based think-tank .

“The Trump administration will not keep the office open when the Palestinians refuse to take steps to start direct and meaningful negotiations with Israel,” he said. “The United States supports a direct and robust peace process, and we will not allow the ICC, or any other organization, to constrain Israel’s right to self-defence.”

Palestinian official Saeb Erekat said the move was “yet another affirmation of the Trump administration’s policy to collectively punish the Palestinian people, including by cutting financial support for humanitarian services including health and education.”

The Palestine Liberation Organization, commonly known as the PLO, formally represents all Palestinians. Although the U.S. does not recognize Palestinian statehood, the PLO has maintained in Washington a general delegation office that facilitates Palestinian officials’ interactions with the U.S. government.

The closure was just the latest move the administration has taken against the Palestinians and in favour of Israel.

Just last month, it cancelled more than $200 million in aid for projects in the West Bank and Gaza as well as the remainder of its planned assistance for the UN agency that helps Palestinian refugees around the Middle East. Over the weekend, it announced it would cut $25 million in assistance for hospitals in east Jerusalem that provide critical care to Palestinian patients.

Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moved the U.S. Embassy there, from Tel Aviv, in May. That led Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to break off contact with U.S. officials for what he called pro-Israel bias, and the opening of the new embassy was met with large Palestinian protests in which dozens were killed.

“The United States continues to believe that direct negotiations between the two parties are the only way forward,” spokeswoman Nauert said in her statement. “This action should not be exploited by those who seek to act as spoilers to distract from the imperative of reaching a peace agreement.”

As for the ICC, Bolton questioned the legitimacy of the court and warned that the U.S. would thwart any attempt by its prosecutors to open investigations into Americans for alleged war crimes and other abuses in conflicts in Afghanistan or elsewhere. Bolton, a leading critic of the ICC said the Trump administration would impose sanctions on the court and take other measures to hamper its ability to function should it proceed with such probes.

“The United States will use any means necessary to protect our citizens and those of our allies from unjust prosecution by this illegitimate court,” Bolton said. “We will not co-operate with the ICC. We will provide no assistance to the ICC. We will not join the ICC. We will let the ICC die on its own. After all, for all intents and purposes, the ICC is already dead to us.”

Bolton said the U.S. would “not sit quietly” if the ICC came after it, Israel or other U.S. allies. He said ICC judges and prosecutors would be banned from coming to the U.S., their assets in U.S. jurisdictions would be frozen and they would face prosecution. Similar measures would be taken against any company or state that assists an ICC investigation of Americans, he said.

“No committee of foreign nations will tell us how to govern ourselves and defend our freedom,” he said.

The Clinton administration signed the Rome Statute that created the ICC but had serious concerns about the scope of the court’s jurisdiction and never sought ratification by the Senate, where there was broad bipartisan opposition to what lawmakers saw as a threat to U.S. sovereignty.

When George W. Bush took office in 2001, Bolton sought and received permission to travel to New York to ceremonially “unsign” the document at the United Nations.</s>National Security Advisor John Bolton listens as US President Donald Trump addresses the nation on the situation in Syria April 13, 2018 at the White House in Washington, DC.

WASHINGTON – White House National Security Adviser John Bolton unleashed a scathing attack Monday on the International Criminal Court, saying the Trump administration would sanction the court and ban its judges from the U.S. if it moves forward with a probe into alleged U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan.

"The United States will use any means necessary to protect our citizens and those of our allies from unjust prosecution by this illegitimate court," Bolton said in a speech Monday to the conservative Federalist Society. "The ICC is already dead to us."

The ICC has long been controversial, with critics like Bolton suggesting it's a threat to American sovereignty. Supporters say the international court, based in the Netherlands, offers recourse for victims of genocide and other war crimes in lawless countries.

The ICC was first envisioned in 1998 by the Rome Treaty as a tribunal that could prosecute genocide, war crimes and other crimes against humanity. “As a court of last resort, it seeks to complement, not replace, national courts,” the ICC says on its website.

In his speech Monday, Bolton blasted the ICC as a “supranational tribunal" that claims "unfettered discretion to investigate, charge, and prosecute individuals, regardless of whether their countries have acceded to the Rome Statute." The U.S. is not a signatory to the Rome agreement.

"In theory, the ICC holds perpetrators of the most egregious atrocities accountable for their crimes, provides justice to the victims, and deters future abuses,” Bolton told a receptive audience of Federal Society members. “In practice, however, the court has been ineffective, unaccountable, and indeed, outright dangerous.”

Bolton said he made the announcement now because the Trump administration feared the ICC was about to take action in the Afghanistan matter.

Last November, the court’s prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, announced plans to seek a probe into allegations that the U.S. military and CIA personnel were involved in acts of torture in Afghanistan.

"In due course, I will file my request for judicial authorization to open an investigation, submitting that there is a reasonable basis to believe that war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed in connection with the armed conflict in Afghanistan," she said at the time.

But Bolton cited another factor in his broadside against the ICC: a possible investigation of Israel, a key U.S. ally. The Palestinians asked the ICC in May to probe alleged human rights abuses by Israel.

"We will not allow the ICC, or any other organization, to constrain Israel's right to self defense," Bolton said Monday.

If the ICC tries to prosecute the U.S., Israel, or other allies, Bolton said the Trump administration would not only sanction the ICC but also any company or state that works with the court in such a probe. The U.S. could even cut off foreign aid to those countries, he said.

"We will remember that cooperation when setting U.S. foreign assistance, military assistance, and intelligence sharing levels," Bolton said.

In a related move, the Trump administration announced Monday it would shutter the Palestine Liberation Organization’s office in Washington – a move that drew an immediate rebuke from Palestinian officials who said the White House is trying to bully them.

The State Department's spokeswoman, Heather Nauert, said the administration was closing the office because the PLO has not been a productive partner in efforts to achieve a peace agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

"The PLO has not taken steps to advance the start of direct and meaningful negotiations with Israel," Nauert said in a statement Monday. "To the contrary, PLO leadership has condemned a U.S. peace plan they have not yet seen and refused to engage with the U.S. government with respect to peace efforts and otherwise.

"The United States continues to believe that direct negotiations between the two parties are the only way forward," she added. "This action should not be exploited by those who seek to act as spoilers to distract from the imperative of reaching a peace agreement. We are not retreating from our efforts to achieve a lasting and comprehensive peace."

Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, said in a statement Monday that Monday's announcement was "another affirmation of the Trump administration’s policy to collectively punish the Palestinian people, including by cutting financial support for humanitarian services including health and education."

The Trump administration first threatened to close down the PLO's office in Washington last fall but later backed off. The State Department's decision to finalize that move will further inflame tensions between the U.S. and the Palestinians – coming on the heels of the Trump administration's decision to nix funding for U.S. aid to the West Bank and Gaza and to freeze support for the United Nation's program that supports Palestinian refugees.

"This dangerous escalation shows that the U.S. is willing to disband the international system in order to protect Israeli crimes and attacks against the land and people of Palestine as well as against peace and security in the rest of our region," Erekat said Monday.

He said the Palestinians would "take the necessary measures to protect the rights of our citizens living in the United States to access their consular services."

Human rights advocates and other critics said the twin moves would further undermine America's global standing and cripple U.S. efforts to be seen as a legitimate peace broker in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"The first casualty of this (ICC) decision is America’s credibility when it comes to international justice," said Brett Bruen, who served as director of global engagement in the Obama administration. Bruen said Obama tried to balance concerns about the ICC, in terms of its impact on U.S. national security and sovereignty, with America's role as a champion of rule of law around the world.

"What Bolton is essentially doing is taking one our most powerful deterrents and removing it from the equation, which will result in more gross human rights violations taking place in places like Venezuela and Myanmar," Bruen said. "It will ultimately result in more American blood and treasure having to be spent to remove those who are committing these kinds of war crimes."

Amnesty International also blasted the move and called on the U.S. to join the ICC as a full-fledged member.

“Rather than imposing sanctions, the United States should instead once and for all reaffirm its signature of the Rome Statute establishing the ICC, and support – not impede – its investigations," said Adotei Akwei, deputy director of advocacy and Government Relations at Amnesty International USA.</s>A top Palestinian official lashed out at the United States over its expected decision later Monday to close the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s office in Washington, accusing the Trump administration of seeking to “collectively punish the Palestinian people.”

The planned announcement, which was reported by The Wall Street Journal, comes as US anger grows over Palestinian resistance to its peace overtures and calls by the Palestinian Authority for the International Criminal Court to investigate Israel.

In a statement, Saeb Erekat said the Palestinians were informed of the decision to shutter the PLO mission by a US official and categorized the move with recent American funding cuts to aid programs for Palestinians.

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“This dangerous escalation shows that the US is willing to disband the international system in order to protect Israeli crimes and attacks against the land and people of Palestine as well as against peace and security in the rest of our region,” he said.

He also reiterated calls for the ICC to probe “Israeli crimes” and vowed the Palestinians would not “succumb to US threats and bullying.”

“Lowering the flag of Palestine in Washington DC means much more than a new slap by the Trump administration against peace and justice,” Erekat said.

“It symbolizes the US attacks against the international system as a whole, including the Paris Convention, UNESCO and the Human Rights Council among others,” he added, referring to US withdrawals from international agreements and organizations under President Donald Trump.

Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the PLO Executive Committee, slammed the planned move as “extremely cruel” and “spiteful.”

“This form of crude and vicious blackmail… once again seeks to punish the Palestinian people as a whole who are already victims of the ruthless Israeli military occupation,” she said in a statement carried by the PA’s official Wafa news agency.

Ashrawi charged the decision was “clear proof of American collusion with Israel’s occupation and the rewards, inducements and incentives it provides Israel, as well as a total ignorance of the requirements of a just peace based on international law and respect for human rights.”

Striking a defiant tone, Ashrawi also vowed the Palestinians would “not surrender.”

“No amount of coercion or unwarranted collective punitive measures will bring the Palestinian leadership or people to their knees,” she said.

Husam Zomlot, head of the PLO mission in Washington, told journalists in Ramallah that the closure was “to protect Israel from war crimes, crimes against humanity that Israel is committing in the occupied Palestinian territories.”

“Part of it is bullying,” Zomlot said in response to a question about the US strategy.

“But the main part of it is just going ahead and implementing the grocery list that was submitted to them by (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu.”

The closure will be announced in a speech to a conservative legal group by National Security Adviser John Bolton, according to the Journal, and in a formal declaration later Monday by the State Department.

The expected move comes after three consecutive weeks of announced US funding cuts to the Palestinians and on the heels of US President Donald Trump’s remarks that he’ll only resume financial support if the Palestinians agree to a peace deal with Israel.

“The United States will always stand with our friend and ally, Israel,” Bolton will reportedly say. “The Trump administration will not keep the office open when the Palestinians refuse to take steps to start direct and meaningful negotiations with Israel.”

The PA has boycotted the Trump administration and rebuffed its peace efforts since the US president’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December of last year. The Palestinians claim East Jerusalem — which Israel captured from Jordan in the 1967 Six Day War and later annexed — as the capital of their future state.

In his speech, Bolton will say the closure keeps with congressional opposition to Palestinian attempts to trigger an ICC probe of Israel, the report said. Congress in 2015 mandated that the PLO mission be shut if the Palestinians initiate or support an investigation by the court against Israelis.

“The United States supports a direct and robust peace process, and we will not allow the ICC, or any other organization, to constrain Israel’s right to self-defense,” he is quoted saying in a draft of his speech reviewed by the newspaper.

He is also expected to warn that the US will sanction the ICC if it pursues investigations of the US and Israel. Such sanctions could include barring judges and prosecutors from entering the US, as well as asset freezes.

In May, a spokesperson for the National Security Council said the White House was weighing closing the PLO mission after the PA’s foreign minister submitted a “referral” to the ICC calling for an investigation of Israeli settlement policies in the West Bank and the violent clashes on the Gaza border.

In mid-November, the US State Department informed PA Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki that the PLO office in DC would be closed because the Palestinians had violated a 2015 US Congressional mandate.

At the time, a US State Department official cited “certain statements made by Palestinian leaders” about the International Criminal Court as a violation.

In a 2017 address to the United Nations General Assembly, PA President Mahmoud Abbas seemed to violate US law, saying, “We have also called on the International Criminal Court, as is our right, to open an investigation and to prosecute Israeli officials” over Israeli settlement activity, he said.

Jerusalem has long argued that the ICC has no jurisdiction over matters related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, since it has no jurisdiction over Israel (which is not a member state) and because Palestine is not a state and therefore cannot exercise jurisdiction over the West Bank.

AFP contributed to this report.
Palestinian diplomat Saeb Erekat says that the United States "is willing to disband the international system in order to protect Israeli crimes".