The International Criminal Court investigates the crimes of …

The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague announced today that opened an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by Israel or by Palestinian armed groups in the territories under Israeli occupation.

The ICC prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda reported in a statement that the investigation initiated by his office It will cover crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court and allegedly committed since June 13, 2014. “The decision to open an investigation came after a thorough preliminary examination by my office which lasted nearly five years.”explained in the text. In 2019, Bensouda claimed that there were reasonable grounds to open an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by Israel in the Palestinian territories of the Gaza Strip and in the Israeli settlement of the West Bank.

At the beginning of last February, an ICC decision ruled that the body had the power to try war crimes committed in the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel since 1967. The decision drew strong criticism from the United Nations. Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, who at the time described the ICC as a “political tribunal”.

“The tribunal created to prevent atrocities such as those perpetrated by the Nazis against the Jewish people from happening again now turns against the state of the Jewish people,” Netanyahu said of the decision to open an investigation. Adding to the criticism, the Chancellor of Israel, Gabi Ashkenazi He also called the decision “political” and He assured that Israel would take the necessary measures to protect its civilians and soldiers.

For its part, Palestinian National Authority (PNA) hailed Prosecutor Bensouda’s decision, who will be leaving his post next June. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry also celebrated the ICC investigation. “This long-awaited measure serves the vigorous Palestinian efforts to achieve justice and demarcate responsibilities, essential bases for peace.“, informed the ministry it is a statement. The ANP endorsed the ICC in 2015 and has since called for an investigation into Israel’s actions in Palestinian territory.

The ANP specifically called for an investigation into Israeli actions during a 2014 military attack on Gaza. and He was targeting the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas. He also called for research into the growing Israeli colonization of the West Bank and Jerusalem. Bensouda said they would also investigate Hamas for indiscriminately firing rockets into Israeli territory during the 2014 offensive.

Since Hamas they also welcomed the decision of prosecutor Bensouda. “We welcome the decision of the ICC to investigate the Israeli occupation war crimes against our people. It is a step forward on the road to peace.”Hamas spokesman in Gaza Hazem Qassem said. “Our (resistance) actions are legitimate,” he added.

The international human rights organization, Human Rights Watch (HRW), supported the international court’s ruling. “ICC member countries must be prepared to firmly shield the work of the court from political pressure,” Balkees Jarrah, HRW deputy director for international justice, said in a statement.

The International Penal Court is a permanent international court of law based in The Hague, the Netherlands. The organism It began operating in 2002 and is the only international tribunal to judge those responsible for crimes of genocide, war, aggression and against humanity.