The Palestinian Authority has become a member of the international criminal court and is marking the momentous occasion with a low-key ceremony at the court’s headquarters.
Palestinians signed the court’s founding treaty in January and it came into force on Wednesday، an event welcomed by activists who see it as an opportunity to bring accountability to years of conflict with Israel.
Israel is not a member of the ICC، but the country’s military and civilian leaders could now face charges if they are believed to have committed crimes on Palestinian territory.
The court’s chief prosecutor، Fatou Bensouda، opened a preliminary investigation in mid-January after the Palestinians formally accepted the court’s jurisdiction dating back to just before last year’s Gaza conflict.
The atmosphere seems ripe for international intervention after recently re-elected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu startled the world with a pledge to voters، since withdrawn، that he would not allow a Palestinian state to be established.
But a legal and diplomatic showdown isn’t inevitable as aides say Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas isn’t interested in an all-out confrontation with Israel. War crimes charges against Israel could be years away and Washington likely will soften any Security Council resolution on Palestinian statehood.
(Source: The Guardian / The Globe And Mail)