Cardin: U.S. Won’t Recognize Palestinian Warrants Through Interpol

The U.S. will not honor Palestinian arrest warrants issued through Interpol, a senior official in Washington said following the international police organization’s vote to include ‘Palestine’ as a full member state.

The decision drew heavy criticism from Israel, which is concerned that the Palestinian Authority will leverage its membership to issue “red notices,” or warrants for the arrest and extradition of Israeli officials. Omar Awadallah, the head of the UN organizations department in the Palestinian Foreign Ministry, said following the vote that the Palestinians “now have the right to sue anyone,” including Israelis who have committed alleged crimes in Palestinian territory.

Indeed, another reason for Israel’s staunch opposition to the vote was that it disregards any need for negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians regarding a final status solution to the conflict, instead recognizing a de facto Palestinian state in all of the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem.

However, U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, the top ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said any “red notices” issued by the Palestinians “will not be recognized in many countries, including the United States.”

Cardin added that Palestinian membership would prove detrimental to future negotiations.

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