Palestinians demand ICC probe into 'abuses'

THE HAGUE - Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki asked prosecutors at the International Criminal Court on Tuesday to launch a full investigation into accusations of Israeli human rights abuses on Palestinian territory, saying the evidence was "insurmountable".

Maliki submitted a so-called "referral", giving the prosecutor at The Hague-based court the legal basis to move beyond a preliminary inquiry started in January 2015.

The referral seeks an investigation into Israeli policies in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip since Palestine accepted the ICC's jurisdiction in 2014, Malki told reporters.

This includes Israeli settlement policies in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as well as bloodshed in the Gaza Strip. Israel and Gaza's ruling Hamas militant group fought a 50-day war in 2014, and in recent weeks, Israeli gunfire has killed more than 100 Palestinians during mass protests along the Gaza border since March.

The ICC has the authority to hear cases of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity committed on the territory of the 123 countries that have signed up to it.

Israel has not joined the court, but because the Palestinians have, Israelis could be targeted for crimes committed on Palestinian lands.

Israel rejected Tuesday's move as "legally invalid", saying the court lacks jurisdiction because the Palestinian Authority is not a state and Israel abides by international law.

At the United Nations, the Bolivian ambassador on Tuesday expressed the hope that the Security Council would be able to adopt a resolution on the international protection of Palestinian civilians.

After the latest round of violence in Gaza between Palestinians and Israeli security forces, Kuwait circulated a Security Council draft resolution, which would provide for the deployment of "an international protection mission" for Palestinian civilians.

"We fully back the Kuwaiti proposal. We believe it's timely for the international community to uphold its responsibility in terms of protecting Palestinians," Sacha Llortenti, the Bolivian ambassador, told reporters.

"We hope that sooner than later we will have the draft on the floor to be voted on."

However, it is widely believed that the United States, an ally of Israel, will veto the draft should it proceed to a vote. The US, a permanent member of the Security Council, has veto power.

Reuters - Xinhua - AP

(China Daily 05/24/2018 page11)