The Hague: The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor said on Wednesday her office will formally investigate war crimes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, a move welcomed by the Palestinian Authority and denounced by Israel.
The decision comes after the court ruled on February 5 that it has jurisdiction in the case, prompting swift rejection from Washington and Jerusalem.
“The decision to open an investigation followed a painstaking preliminary examination undertaken by my office that lasted close to five years,” outgoing Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said in a statement.
“In the end, our central concern must be for the victims of crimes, both Palestinian and Israeli, arising from the long cycle of violence and insecurity that has caused deep suffering and despair on all sides.
“My office will take the same principled, non-partisan, approach that it has adopted in all situations over which its jurisdiction is seized.”
Bensouda, who will be replaced by British prosecutor Karim Khan on June 16, said in December 2019 that “war crimes have been or are being committed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip”.
The UN recognises the Occupied Palestinian Territories as the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip – disputed territory claimed by Israel.
She named both the Israeli Defence Forces and armed Palestinian groups such as Hamas as possible perpetrators.
The next step will be to determine whether Israeli or Palestinian authorities have investigations themselves and to assess those efforts.
Read the article by Stephanie van den Berg and Anthony Deutsch in The Sydney Morning Herald.