AFP
United Nations
The Palestinians formally joined the International Criminal Court yesterday in a move that would allow them to lodge war crimes complaints against Israel as of April, the United Nations and the ICC said.
The decision drew fresh opposition from the United States, which argued that the state of Palestine should not be allowed to join the ICC as it is not “a sovereign state”.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon accepted the request from the state of Palestine to join the ICC and said the court will be able as of April 1 to investigate serious crimes committed on the Palestinian territories.
Sidiki Kaba, the president of the assembly of state-parties to the ICC, welcomed Palestine as the 123rd signatory of the Rome Statute, which governs the ICC.
But the United States, which is not a member of the ICC, questioned the decision.
“The United States does not believe that the state of Palestine qualifies as a sovereign state and does not recognise it as such and does not believe that it is eligible to accede to the Rome statute,” said US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki.
Ban notified states that are party to the ICC of the decision late Tuesday, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
“The secretary general has ascertained that the instruments received were in due and proper form before accepting them for deposit,” a UN statement read.
In a statement posted on the ICC website, Kaba welcomed Ban’s decision and said “each ratification of the Rome Statute constitutes welcome progress towards its universality.”
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas signed requests to join the ICC and 16 other conventions on December 31, a day after the Security Council failed to adopt a resolution paving the way to full statehood.
Israel has retaliated by freezing some $127mn in tax revenue due the Palestinian Authority and has vowed to take other steps in response to the move.
The United States has criticised the ICC membership bid as counterproductive and the US Congress is threatening to withhold $440mn in aid.
The Palestinians have asked the ICC to look into possible war crimes committed during last year’s Gaza war.
Almost 2,200 Palestinians were killed in July and August during the 50-day war, including more than 400 children, according to UN estimates.
The Palestinian envoy to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, said a suit could also be filed at the ICC over the construction of Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories.
The Palestinians were upgraded from observer entity to UN “observer state” in 2012, opening the doors for them to join the ICC and a host of other international organisations.
The move to join the ICC is part of a Palestinian strategy to internationalise their push for statehood, moving away from US-led negotiations that have been the framework for the peace process for decades.
An Arab-backed resolution on ending the Israeli occupation by the end of 2017 was rejected at the UN Security Council last week, but the Palestinians are considering another measure at the 15-member council.
The United States and Australia voted against the resolution, but China, France and Russia were among eight countries that voted in favour, just one vote short of the nine required for adoption.
Five countries seen as having a more pro-Palestinian stance began their term at the Security Council this month, proving a new opportunity for the Palestinians to seek support from the powerful body.
Angola, Malaysia, New Zealand, Spain and Venezuela begin their two-year stint at the council on January 1, replacing Argentina, Australia, Luxembourg, Rwanda and South Korea.
The Palestinians’ next step at the United Nations is to be discussed at a January 15 Arab League meeting in Cairo.
Children look out through a hole covered with a blanket in their home, which was damaged by Israeli shelling during the 50-day war last summer, in the
