The Palestinian leadership intends to file a lawsuit with the International Criminal Court against US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for backing Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Maliki said on Wednesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st November, 2019) The Palestinian leadership intends to file a lawsuit with the International Criminal Court against US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for backing Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Maliki said on Wednesday.
On Monday, Pompeo announced that Washington no longer considered the construction of civilian settlements by Israel in the West Bank "inconsistent with international law," a reversal of the position held by the previous administration under President Barack Obama.
"The Palestinian leadership will go to the International Criminal Court in the next few days to personally file a lawsuit against US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo," Maliki said.
While Washington's statement has no legal force, in practice, it could seriously undermine security in the region and encourage Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to proceed with "the colonial annexation" of the West Bank, a clear violation of international law, he added.
Pompeo's announcement seems to go against UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which was adopted unanimously in 2016. It states that the Israeli activity of building settlements on Palestinian territories, occupied since 1967, constitutes a violation of international law. Over the past decades, Israel has built more than 120 settlements in the contested area.
