[ad_1]
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has ruled that it has jurisdiction over war crimes and atrocities in the Palestinian territories. The BBC reports that Palestinians will now be able to seek justice from the ICC for Israeli atrocities in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza. The Palestinians are happy with the ruling, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is angry.
Since the seven-day Arab-Israeli war in 1967, Israel has been building illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, ranging from the indiscriminate killing of children to the occupation of local lands. The Zionist state has perpetrated horrible atrocities against the Palestinians for centuries, but the population of the occupied West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem have not been able to seek justice.
Fatou Bensouda, the ICC’s chief prosecutor, has been investigating the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since 2015. Earlier, she said there were “reasonable grounds” to believe that war crimes had been committed there (in the Palestinian territories).
In a ruling issued on Friday, the ICC said the court would now put the occupied West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem under Israeli jurisdiction.
Israel is not a member of the ICC. The country has rejected this judicial jurisdiction. By calling the international judiciary a “political organization,” he has promised to “protect all his citizens and military” from his trials. Prime Minister Netanyahu has claimed that “the court’s decision will undermine the right of a democratic state to protect its citizens.”
However, Wafa, quoting Palestinian Prime Minister Mohamed Shitayeh, said: “This decision (of the ICC) is a victory for justice and humanity, the values of truth, transparency and freedom, and the blood of the martyrs and their families.
It should be noted that the Israeli occupation forces have long been accused of committing crimes against humanity and war crimes in the Palestinian territories. However, the Zionist country has been rejecting the role of the ICC in prosecuting the crime.
[ad_2]
