Bolton : US to withdraw from Vienna protocol

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Reuters | Published: 10.03.18, 22:17

US National Security Adviser John Bolton said on Wednesday the United States would withdraw from the “optional protocol” that gives the ICJ jurisdiction to hear disputes under the 1961 Vienna Convention of Diplomatic Relations.

The Vienna Convention is an international treaty setting out diplomatic relations between states. It is often cited as a means to provide diplomatic immunity.

Bolton told a White House briefing that the withdrawal from the so-called “optional protocol” was related to a case brought by the “State of Palestine” in September challenging the recent US embassy move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

“This really has less to do with Iran and the Palestinians than with the continued consistent policy of the United States to reject the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice, which we think is politicized and ineffective,” Bolton said.

The ICJ is the United Nations’ venue for resolving disputes between nations. Palestine was recognized by the UN General Assembly in 2012 as a non-member observer state, though its statehood is not recognized by either Israel or the United States.