IV 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 270 
Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the Palestinian Authority’s pur-
ported accession to the International Criminal Court for the purpose 
of initiating prosecutions against Israeli soldiers, citizens, officials, and 
leaders. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 18, 2015 
Mr. FRANKS of Arizona (for himself and Mr. VARGAS) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the Palestinian 
Authority’s purported accession to the International 
Criminal Court for the purpose of initiating prosecutions 
against Israeli soldiers, citizens, officials, and leaders. 
Whereas the United States has committed its diplomatic ef-
forts to obtaining a genuine and durable peace agreement 
between the State of Israel and the Palestinians, to be 
achieved through bilateral negotiations since the signing 
of the Oslo Accords in 1993; 
Whereas Congress reaffirms the United States commitment 
to a genuine and sustainable peace, obtained through di-
rect bilateral negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian 
leadership, without the interference or inclusion of 
Hamas, in keeping with United States commitments to 
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•HRES 270 IH 
democracy, freedom, and the rights of all peoples to self- 
determination; 
Whereas the Palestinian Authority, headed by President 
Mahmoud Abbas, has engaged in a series of bad-faith ac-
tions bypassing and hindering the United States peace- 
making efforts, and has undertaken multiple courses of 
action hindering negotiations aimed at achieving a gen-
uine and sustainable peace settlement between the Pal-
estinians and the State of Israel; 
Whereas the most recent of these bad-faith actions has been 
the Palestinian Authority’s pursuit of membership in the 
International Criminal Court (ICC) and the initiation of 
prosecutions of Israeli leaders, citizens, officials, and sol-
diers for alleged war crimes, which profoundly under-
mines prospects for mutual recognition, dialogue, and 
reconciliation; 
Whereas Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) elements 
of the Palestinian leadership have stated that Palestinian 
accession to the ICC is only the first step towards car-
rying out a total and continuous political and judicial 
battle against the State of Israel outside of the agreed 
negotiating framework; 
Whereas Hamas, which is part of the Palestinian Authority’s 
unity government with Fatah, has called the purported 
Palestinian accession to the ICC a first step by the inter-
national community to isolate Israel, calling on the Pales-
tinian Authority to widen the ambit of prosecutions; 
Whereas the aforementioned conduct of the Palestinian Au-
thority hinders the peace process between Israel and the 
Palestinians and thus represents a threat to the regional 
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•HRES 270 IH 
interests of the United States and the security of its al-
lies; 
Whereas Congress recognizes that Israel has made significant 
breakthroughs in advancing peace with its neighbors, as 
exemplified by its peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, 
and has demonstrated its good faith and enduring deter-
mination and willingness to establish a genuine and sus-
tainable peace with the Palestinians; 
Whereas Congress recognizes that Israeli leaders and soldiers 
have been forced to defend Israel’s citizens and civilians 
from unrelenting terrorist attacks, including over 15,000 
rocket and mortar attacks against civilian communities, 
suicide bombings and cross-border tunnel attacks, by un-
dertaking military action in Gaza and in the West Bank; 
Whereas Congress recognizes the commitment of Israel’s ci-
vilian and military leadership to applicable international 
legal norms, and the commitment of the Israel Defense 
Forces to act strictly within the confines of the Law of 
Armed Conflict in all of its military engagements; 
Whereas Congress recognizes that the Israel Defense Forces 
doctrine of the ‘‘Purity of Arms’’ requires all Israeli sol-
diers to maintain their humanity in combat, and forbids 
the use of armed force to harm non-combatants or their 
property, enjoining all Israeli soldiers to do everything in 
their ability to avoid harming the lives, body, honor and 
property of non-combatants, and this doctrine remains 
the guiding rule and policy of Israel’s armed forces; 
Whereas Israel’s civilian judiciary is impartial and inter-
nationally respected, and has established a well-earned 
reputation for being a champion of human rights and re-
spect for international legal norms; 
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•HRES 270 IH 
Whereas Congress recognizes that Israel’s internal mecha-
nisms for examining and investigating complaints and 
claims of violations of the Law of Armed Conflict is 
internationally regarded and complies with Israel’s obli-
gations under international law and ICC standards of 
complementarity, in light of the general principles for 
conducting an effective investigation under international 
law—independence, impartiality, effectiveness and thor-
oughness, and promptness—and that Israel’s system 
ranks favorably with those of other democratic systems; 
Whereas Israeli soldiers and Israeli officials involved in the 
defense of the State of Israel should not, therefore, be 
the subject of frivolous or politically motivated prosecu-
tions by the International Criminal Court or any other 
foreign tribunal; 
Whereas Congress reaffirms the Administration’s stance op-
posing and regarding as legally invalid Palestinian mem-
bership in the ICC, which is open only to sovereign 
states, and condemns the unilateral actions of the Pales-
tinian Authority to obstruct peace with Israel by moving 
to become a member of the ICC, with the sole purpose 
of initiating wrongful and politically motivated prosecu-
tions of Israelis for alleged war crimes; and 
Whereas the politically motivated use of international bodies 
weakens their legitimacy and efficacy, and hinders the 
movement towards the universal adoption of human 
rights norms: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That it is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) the Palestinian Authority should withdraw 
its application for membership to the International 
Criminal Court (ICC); 
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•HRES 270 IH 
(2) the Palestinian Authority should cease all 
attempts to initiate, support, or encourage frivolous 
and politically motivated war-crimes prosecutions 
against Israeli leaders, officials, citizens or soldiers 
via the International Criminal Court or any other 
international or national judicial body; 
(3) the Palestinian Authority should dem-
onstrate its viability as a peace partner with the 
State of Israel by returning to bilateral negotiations 
with Israel, without preconditions, and cease to un-
dertake bad-faith actions demonstrating its non-via-
bility as Israel’s peace partner; 
(4) the organs of the ICC should oppose the 
politicization of international law by the Palestinian 
Authority by rescinding Palestinian membership in 
the ICC, which is open only to sovereign states, 
promptly closing any preliminary examination and 
refraining from opening or authorizing any inves-
tigation into the conduct of Israel’s soldiers, offi-
cials, and leaders on the basis of the legally invalid 
and politically motivated Palestinian attempt to 
grant the ICC jurisdiction; 
(5) the ICC should defer to Israeli jurisdiction 
and the Israeli military and civilian judicial systems 
in cases involving Israeli citizens, soldiers, or leaders 
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•HRES 270 IH 
since Israel has proceeded with good-faith investiga-
tions and prosecutions of alleged war crimes, dem-
onstrating now, as in the past, its genuine willing-
ness to prosecute these matters; and 
(6) the Administration should begin immediate 
substantive consultations with Congress concerning 
Palestinian state-level membership in the ICC. 
Æ 
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