Palestinian foreign minister seeks to prosecute Israel for war crimes at ICC
- Wednesday, 06 August 2014 10:50
Al-Maliki accused Israel of committing 'atrocities' and said that 'Israel does not leave us with any other choice; we must do everything we can to bring those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity to justice'
Following his meeting at The Hague with ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda of the Gambia, Al-Maliki said the Palestinian Authority seeks to join the ICC as a prerequisite to opening an international investigation into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Arabs 48 news website reported that Al-Maliki accused Israel of committing "atrocities" and said that "Israel does not leave us with any other choice; we must do everything we can to bring those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity to justice."
Al-Maliki commented on the 72-hour ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian resistance, which went into effect on Tuesday morning, saying: "We expect the ceasefire to continue for 72 hours and even more," adding "everything depends on the seriousness of the Israeli side."
The Palestinian Authority asked the ICC in 2009 to investigate Israel's crimes against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, but the ICC prosecutor said at the time that only states could join the international court and push for a probe, thus preventing the Palestinians from pursuing their case at the ICC.
However, in November 2012 the Palestinians received an observer state status at the United Nations, which allows them to join the ICC and other international conventions.
Al-Maliki pointed out that the Palestinians are prepared to bear the results of any possible investigation, which would include both sides, not only the Israeli side.
Bensouda said in a statement that the court still could not investigate Israel over war crimes because the Palestinian Authority is not a member state of the Rome Convention.
The ICC prosecutor pointed out that she had not yet received "any official document from the Palestinians requesting to join the ICC or demanding to investigate the Israeli war crimes" following their recognition as an observer state.
Bensouda noted that her meeting with Al-Maliki was intended to "clarify the available mechanisms for any state to join the ICC or push for a probe".
The Times of Israel quotes Al-Maliki as saying that joining the ICC now is merely "a question of procedural matters."
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