Palestinian injured in Gaza border protests
Photo: AFP
Palestinians to file war crimes complaint against Israel
PLO official Saeb Erekat says Palestinian Authority decided to 'immediately' turn to the International Criminal Court and file a complaint against Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank.
The Palestinians have decided to file a war crimes complaint against Israel with the International Criminal Court over its settlement construction in the West Bank.
PLO official Saeb Erekat said the decision to sign the ICC referral “immediately” was made late Monday in a meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and senior PLO officials in the wake of opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem and the death of 59 Palestinians in Gaza border clashes with the IDF.
Seeking a war crimes prosecution of Israel would signal a sharp deterioration in increasingly tense relations between the two sides.
Saeb Erekat (צילום: AP)
The Palestinians have had standing at the court since the UN General Assembly recognized a “state of Palestine” as a non-member observer in 2012.
According to Erekat, in that capacity, “Palestine” will also join several international organizations.
Previous decisions of this nature were sharply opposed by the US and Israel.
