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ICC claims jurisdiction in the Palestinian territories
Judges at the International Criminal Court found that he has jurisdiction over war crimes committed in Palestinian territories on Friday (February 5). The decision paves the way for possible criminal investigations. He was quickly criticized by Israel – who is not a member of the court – and received by the Palestinian Authority. It happens just over a year after ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said she found that, quote, “war crimes have been or are being committed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip,” citing the Israeli Defense Forces and armed Palestinian groups like Hamas are possible perpetrators. She then said she saw no reason not to open an investigation – but first asked the judges to decide whether the situation was within the jurisdiction of the court. The judges said the jurisdiction’s decision does not imply any attempt to determine the condition of a Palestinian state. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the measure: “When the ICC investigates Israel for false war crimes, this is pure anti-Semitism”. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki said Israel had always been treated above the law. “There is no responsibility when it comes to Israel. // Today, the United States of America can do nothing to protect Israel and, as a result, Israel must be treated as a war criminal. ” Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are one. of the most heated issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Palestinians want the West Bank, captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, as part of a future state.