The Palestinian Authority on Wednesday reacted angrily to the statement by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson a day earlier that London was opposing the International Criminal Court’s decision to investigate Israel for possible war crimes.
In a letter to Conservative Friends of Israel, Johnson said: “We do not accept that the ICC has jurisdiction in this case, as Israel is not a party to the Rome Statute and Palestine is not a sovereign state. , “and adds that the ‘decision’ gives the impression that it is an adverse attack ‘on the Jewish state.
In response, the PA’s mission in London said the letter was a low point in relations between the UK and Palestine and undermined British credibility on the international stage. ‘
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“The letter contradicts international law. This is a contradiction with British policy. It subjects the rule-based global order. “It restores efforts to bring about a lasting and just peace in Palestine,” the diplomatic mission said.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has confirmed the UK’s opposition to the ICC inquiry, saying it has no jurisdiction and gives the impression that it is a “partial and prejudicial attack” on Israel.
CFIs @SCrabbPembs @EricPickles & Lord Polak the confirmation “very welcome” ???? pic.twitter.com/6H0bO3pqxd
– CFoI (@CFoI) 13 April 2021
“If Mr Johnson disputes that, he disputes the legitimacy of the court,” the Palestinian mission in London added.
In March, the ICC announced that it would investigate possible war crimes committed by Israel and the Palestinians following a request from the Palestinians, who joined the court in 2015 after gaining observer status in the UN General Assembly. .
The International Criminal Court on Sunday 24 September 2017 (thanks to ICC)
Israel vehemently condemned the investigation and accused the ICC of prejudice, claiming that Israel was demonstrably capable of investigating any suspected IDF crimes through its own legitimate hierarchies, saying that the ICC has no jurisdiction as the Palestinians has no state. Israel is not a member of the ICC, but its citizens can be arrested abroad if warrants are issued.
Israel sent a formal response to the court on Friday. Although the text of the response has not yet been published, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement on Thursday that he would say Israel would not cooperate in the investigation.
The ICC investigation is expected to focus on three main areas: the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas; Israeli settlement policy; and the 2018 Great Protest March, a series of violent protests along Gaza’s border with Israel that have killed dozens of Palestinians.
Protesters stand waving flags on top of a bus during a protest near the Israeli embassy against action in Gaza; in London, 11 July 2014. (AP Photo / Alastair Grant)
The investigation will also look at terrorist rockets from Gaza into civilian areas in Israel.
Israeli observers noted the importance of the timing of the investigation: on June 12, 2014, Hamas terrorists kidnapped and killed three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank Gush Etzion area. Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda’s investigation – based on the request submitted by the so – called State of Palestine – will focus on events following the next day.
The brutal terrorist attack, which terrified the Israelis and brought international condemnation, was a crucial moment in the run-up to the fighting in Gaza later this summer. With the investigation to consider events beginning on June 13, 2014, the crime can be excluded from the court’s investigation.
Bensouda will be replaced by British lawyer Karim Khan as prosecutor in June. Israel hopes to believe that Khan could be less hostile or even cancel the investigation.
