ICC to Resolve Jurisdiction Trial For Israeli War Crimes This Week

Hague, MINA – The International Criminal Court (ICC) will decide this week whether it has jurisdiction to try Israeli war crimes in Palestine.

The decision will determine whether the ICC has the right to try Israeli war crimes in the 2014 war in Gaza, said ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda. Thus quoted from World Israel News on Sunday, April 26.

Bensouda said there was “a reasonable basis for the ICC to continue the investigation” into the allegations.

The Palestinian Authority (PA), which is a member of the ICC, requested an investigation five years ago. While Israel is not a member of the ICC.

If the world court decides, the Palestinian Authority is a country, then it has jurisdiction to investigate Israeli violations during the 2014 operation, which will cover not only the Gaza Strip but also Judea and Samaria and east Jerusalem.

The court ruled that interested parties could submit an amicus brief on March 16.

Pro-Israel NGOs say the filing of the case is reckless and legally flawed.

“Arguments ignore court rules to limit discussions with jurisdiction, engage in historical revisionism, such as ignoring Palestinian terrorism, and promote biased source material,” the statement read.

Israel condemned the decision of the ICC in December to open an investigation into this war crime.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it “a dark day for truth and justice.”

ICC Bensouda’s Prosecutor’s Decree “has transformed the International Criminal Court into a political tool to delegitimize the State of Israel. The prosecutor has completely ignored the legal arguments that we presented to him, “Netanyahu said.

Some countries have stated that the ICC does not have jurisdiction to try Israel, including Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Brazil.  (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)