The International Criminal Court announced on Wednesday that after nearly five years of preparations it has opened investigations into potential war crimes committed by the Israeli defense forces, Hamas and Palestinian armed groups in Palestine, including in Gaza and the West Bank territories
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd March, 2021) The International Criminal Court announced on Wednesday that after nearly five years of preparations it has opened investigations into potential war crimes committed by the Israeli defense forces, Hamas and Palestinian armed groups in Palestine, including in Gaza and the West Bank territories.
"The investigation will cover crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court that are alleged to have been committed in the Situation since 13 June 2014," Fatou Bensouda, ICC prosecutor, stated.
The prosecutor added that the decision to open an investigation followed a "painstaking preliminary examination undertaken by my Office that lasted close to five years." During that period, according to the official statement, the ICC had conducted regular meetings with representatives from Palestinian and Israeli governments.
The exact priorities of the ICC's investigations will be identified at a later date and taking into consideration the COVID-19 restrictions, the statement said.
"In the end, our central concern must be for the victims of crimes, both Palestinian and Israeli, arising from the long cycle of violence and insecurity that has caused deep suffering and despair on all sides", the prosecutor noted.
In May 2018, Palestine requested the ICC to investigate crimes allegedly committed on its territory since June 13, 2014. In December 2019, the prosecutor's office established that there was a reasonable basis to proceed with investigations into certain cases under the Rome Statute criteria.
In February 2021, the judges of the pretrial chamber made a majority decision to extend the court's criminal jurisdiction to Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. However, the ICC stressed that this decision pertains only to the territorial scope of the current investigations and has no bearing on the border disputes between Israel and Palestine.
