Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki affirmed that Palestine is pressing to accelerate the issuance of a decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) First Pre-Trial Chamber's judges regarding the geographical jurisdiction of Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to start an official investigation in the Palestinian territories.
Maliki said that the Palestinian Authority demanded that the ICC set a date to announce its decision regarding the geographical jurisdiction of Bensouda.
The ICC decided to adjourn without opening an investigation against Tel Aviv over possible war crimes committed in the occupied Palestinian territories. The ICC pre-trial was supposed to assess if Bensouda has the authority to open an investigation into war crimes by Israel.
The main topics to be brought before the court are the settlements and the large-scale Israeli aggression waged on the Gaza Strip in 2014.
He added that Palestine is ready to fully cooperate with the ICC to open an official and comprehensive investigation into Israeli war crimes.
"The question remains, will Israel cooperate with the court? We don’t expect that," he said.
The PM said that Palestine has offered to sign agreements with the ICC to facilitate the court's investigation of Israeli war crimes in the Palestinian territories.
Dr. Omar Awadallah, head of public administration for UN human rights organizations at the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that the process of making decisions in this regard is imminent.
He added that the occupation authorities are trying to divert the investigations and give it a political print. Yet, he stressed the legality of the investigation and its importance in defending the rights of Palestinians in their occupied territories.
Further, Awadallah asserted that internal reports of ICC and outcomes of the international investigation committees prove that the occupation has committed crimes on the occupied lands, including the settlements and annexation plan.
