Palestine to file war crimes case against Israel in ICC in April: PLO
PLO to take Israel to International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court building in the Hague. PHOTO: AFP
RAMALLAH:
The Palestinians are to lodge their first complaint against Israel for alleged war crimes at the International Criminal Court on April 1, said a senior official on Monday.
"One of the first important steps will be filing a complaint against Israel at the ICC on April 1 over the (2014) Gaza war and settlement activity," said Mohammed Shtayyeh, a member of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO).
United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon had accepted Palestine's request to join the International Criminal Court in January 2015, a move that opened the way for war crimes complaints against Israel.
The decision grants the Hague-based ICC jurisdiction to open cases as of April 1 on serious crimes committed in the Palestinian territories, including war crimes committed.
Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas had signed requests to join the ICC and 16 other conventions, a day after the Security Council failed to adopt a resolution paving the way to full statehood.
Almost 2,200 Palestinians were killed in July and August during the 50-day war in Gaza, including more than 400 children, according to UN estimates.
The Palestinians are to lodge their first complaint against Israel for alleged war crimes at the International Criminal Court on April 1, said a senior official on Monday.
"One of the first important steps will be filing a complaint against Israel at the ICC on April 1 over the (2014) Gaza war and settlement activity," said Mohammed Shtayyeh, a member of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO).
United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon had accepted Palestine's request to join the International Criminal Court in January 2015, a move that opened the way for war crimes complaints against Israel.
The decision grants the Hague-based ICC jurisdiction to open cases as of April 1 on serious crimes committed in the Palestinian territories, including war crimes committed.
Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas had signed requests to join the ICC and 16 other conventions, a day after the Security Council failed to adopt a resolution paving the way to full statehood.
Almost 2,200 Palestinians were killed in July and August during the 50-day war in Gaza, including more than 400 children, according to UN estimates.