ICC Prosecutor Opens Probe into ’Israeli’ War Crimes against Palestinians

Local Editor

Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court said on Friday they had opened a preliminary inquiry into possible war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank, the first formal step that could lead to charges against "Israelis".

On January 1, a day before requesting ICC membership, the Palestinian Authority asked the prosecutors to investigate crimes committed on territories under Palestinian control since June 13, 2014, the date on which the Zionist entity began its latest aggression against the Gaza Strip.

The 51-day "Israeli" assault on Gaza left at least 2,300 Palestinians martyred, at least 70 percent of them civilians, and 96,000 houses destroyed. Reconstruction hasn't started in the besieged enclave, leaving thousands vulnerable to electricity cuts, water shortages and harsh winter weather.

"The office will conduct its analysis in full independence and impartiality," the prosecution office said in a statement, adding that it was a matter of "policy and practice" to open a preliminary examination after receiving such a referral.
"The case is now in the hands of the court," said Nabil Abuznaid, head of the Palestinian delegation in The Hague. "It is a legal matter now and we have faith in the court system."

Meanwhile, the Palestinian ambassador to Russia, Faid Mustafa, stated that the Palestinian Authority had begun to prepare documents in order to lodge formal war crimes accusations against "Israel".

For its part, "Israel" denounced the ICC's "scandalous" decision.

The sole purpose of the preliminary examination is to "try to harm "Israel"'s right to defend itself from terror," Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman claimed in a statement.

He claimed that the decision was "solely motivated by political anti-"Israel" considerations," adding that he would recommend against cooperating with the probe.

As usual, the US rushed to support the Zionist entity.

The United States on Friday condemned as "tragic irony" the International Criminal Court's decision to open a preliminary probe into possible war crimes committed by Israeli forces against Palestinians.

"We strongly disagree with the ICC prosecutor's action today," State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke said in a statement.

"It is a tragic irony that Israel, which has withstood thousands of terrorist rockets fired at its civilians and its neighborhoods, is now being scrutinized by the ICC," he added.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team