BDS Calls on ICC to Investigate Israel’s War Crimes

Ramallah, MINA – The Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) National Committee (BNC) on Saturday welcomed the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) confirmation of jurisdiction over the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), calling on the ICC “to stop dragging its feet, resist pressure from the US, Israel and Western countries,” and investigate Israel’s war crimes against the Palestinians.

The Pre-Trial Chamber I of the ICC decided on Friday by majority that the Court’s territorial jurisdiction in the Situation in Palestine, a State party to the ICC Rome Statute, extends to the territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

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“We welcome the International Criminal Court’s decision affirming jurisdiction over the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Israel’s apartheid regime has killed over 3,600 Palestinians since the ICC started its preliminary examination of the situation in Palestine,” said the BNC as quoted from Wafa.

“The ICC must act as an impartial court, fulfil its mandate under the Rome Statute, and investigate Israel’s war crimes and crimes against humanity in the OPT, including the crime of apartheid,” it demanded.

Palestinians cannot afford any more crimes and suffering. Justice delayed is justice denied. The ICC must hold Israel accountable for its decades of crimes against the Palestinian people. (T/RE1)

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Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)