With all due respect to Israel, which is firmly opposed to it, the Attorney General of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Fatou Bensouda, said on Wednesday (March 3) that she had opened an investigation into alleged crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Mme Bensouda had previously stated that there was a “Reasonable basis” to believe that crimes were committed by members of the Israeli forces, Israeli authorities, Hamas and Palestinian armed groups during the 2014 Gaza war.
“Today, I confirm the opening by the prosecutor’s office of the International Criminal Court of an investigation into the situation in Palestine, she said in a statement. The investigation will focus on crimes falling within the jurisdiction of the court allegedly committed in the situation since June 13, 2014. ”
Shortly after the Hague court announcement, Israeli foreign minister Gabi Ashkenazi said in a statement that” he it is a political decision of a prosecutor at the end of his mandate (…), which turns the court into an instrument in the hands of extremists and anti-Semitic organizations ” and who devotes the “Moral bankruptcy” of this courtyard. The ICC “Made a decision which is the very essence of anti-Semitism and hypocrisy (…). We will stand up for every soldier, every officer, every civilian and I promise you that we will fight for the truth until this outrageous decision is overturned ”Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address on Wednesday.
Palestinian satisfaction
The Palestinian Authority for its part welcomed the decision of the ICC. “The crimes committed by the leaders of the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people, which are continuous, systematic and widespread crimes, make the investigation necessary and urgent”the Palestinian foreign ministry said in a statement. He also called “The States Parties to respect their responsibilities and not to politicize the conduct of this independent investigation”, committing itself to provide “All assistance” necessary for the court so that it can conduct its investigation.
Unlike Palestine, Israel is not a member of the ICC and has vehemently opposed any investigation. But ICC judges had paved the way for a war crimes investigation by ruling last month that the court had jurisdiction over events in the occupied Palestinian territories.
In December 2019, Fatou Bensouda said he wanted a full investigation after a five-year preliminary investigation, while asking the ICC to determine whether its scope extended to the Palestinian territories.
