The International Cricket Council is a global sports body far removed from the world’s political turmoil, but recently the organisation ended up in the middle of it after an Israeli media outlet, The Jerusalem Post, tagged the organisation in a tweet on an investigation into alleged Israeli war crimes.
To clarify, the International Cricket Council was inadvertently tagged in the above tweet. They did not accuse Israel of war crimes, but rather the International Criminal Court (@IntlCrimCourt) made the statement.
— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) December 22, 2019
The tagging was apparently a mistake, as the Cricket Council uses the ICC acronym on its Twitter account, which is also used to describe the International Criminal Court – an international tribunal that recently launched an investigation into allegations that Israel committed war crimes by constructing settlements in the West Bank. The Jerusalem Post later explained that the incorrect tagging was done by accident, but netizens couldn't miss out on the opportunity to deliver jabs over the Twitter gaffe.
That ICC cricket account will be blocking like Boycott on speed today. 🤣
— Ian Jones 🏉🏴 (@IanJone57246887) December 22, 2019
Don't let the International Cricket Council weasel their way out of this one
— Ben Hartman (@Benhartman) December 22, 2019
I was thinking those pesky cricketers are getting ideas above their station to get involved in this!!
— Mick Aspden (@mick_aspden) December 22, 2019
Many resorted to using cricket terms such as "sticky wicket", which refers to a difficult situation, to crack jokes about the international sports body "going political" all of a sudden and the Israeli media making such a hilarious mistake.
What’s the IDF’s batting average lads? Might need an umpire’s call on this disproportionate drone responses again!
— Eboue’s Elbow (@EboueElbow) December 22, 2019
The PLO have won the toss and elected to bat first on what looks to be a bit of a minefield....
— Boi Pevassu (@boipevassu) December 22, 2019
The Oxford Dictionery definition of being on a sticky wicket?
— David (@Spikeyorks) December 22, 2019
Despite all the jokes on Twitter, Israel itself took the statements by the International Criminal Court quite seriously, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accusing the ICC (the international tribunal) of anti-Semitism and Israel's envoy to the UN, Danny Dannon, calling it "diplomatic terror".
Tel Aviv has long defied UN resolutions requiring that it stop constructing new and expanding existing settlements in the West Bank, despite backlash from the international community and even its ally, the US, during the Barack Obama administration. However, the Donald Trump administration has changed the US stance, determining that from the American perspective, these settlements do not necessarily violate international law.
