US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday decried a decision by the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor to proceed with an investigation into war crimes allegedly committed in the Palestinian territories.
“We firmly oppose this and any other action that seeks to target Israel unfairly,” Pompeo said.
“We do not believe the Palestinians qualify as a sovereign state, and they therefore are not qualified to obtain full membership, or participate as a state in international organizations, entities, or conferences, including the ICC.”
On Twitter, Pompeo added: “The path to lasting peace is through direct negotiations.”
ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said on Friday that she was “satisfied that there is a reasonable basis to proceed with an investigation into the situation in Palestine.”
She added that “there is a reasonable basis to believe that war crimes were committed in the context of the 2014 hostilities in Gaza” by the Israel Defense Forces for allegedly launching disproportionate attacks and “willful killing and willfully causing serious injury to body or health… and intentionally directing an attack against objects or persons using the distinctive emblems of the Geneva Conventions.”
She said there was also “reasonable basis to believe that members of Hamas and Palestinian armed groups committed… war crimes” by targeting civilians and torturing individuals.
Her statement indicates that a full investigation could be launched, which could include charges against Israelis and Palestinians. READ MORE
