Palestinian war crimes investigation begins – Netanyahu calls decision “anti-Semitic”

The International Criminal Court is launching an investigation into war crimes allegedly committed in the occupied territories Palestinian territories, according to the statements today Wednesday (3/3) of the Attorney General, Fatou Bensouda.

It is an initiative that Israel strongly opposes, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling it anti-Semitic.

According to the APE-MPE, this decision taken after the court decision on 5 February that it has jurisdiction in this case, a move that quickly provoked the rejection of Washington and Jerusalem.

“The decision to conduct an investigation was made after a painstaking preliminary examination carried out by my office for almost five years,” said outgoing prosecutor Fatou Bensouda. “Ultimately, our main concern must be with the victims of the crimes, both Palestinians and Israelis, arising from the long cycle of violence and insecurity that has caused deep pain and despair on all sides,” Bensouda said.

The investigation will focus on the 2014 Gaza war

“My office will have the same basic, unbiased approach it has taken in all situations in which it has jurisdiction.” The prosecutor had previously stated that there was a “reasonable basis” for believing that war crimes had been committed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and in the Gaza Strip, by members of the Israeli forces, the Israeli authorities and the during the 2014 Gaza war.

“Today I confirm the commencement of an investigation into the situation in Palestine by the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court,” Fatou Bensouda said in a statement. Her office will look at both sides of the conflict.

“The investigation will concern the crimes that fall under the jurisdiction of the Court that were allegedly committed from June 13, 2014.”

“We welcome the ICC’s decision to investigate Israel’s war crimes against our people. “This is a step towards achieving justice for the victims of our people,” Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasim told Reuters.

“Our resistance is legitimate, and it is done to defend our people. “All international law recognizes legal resistance,” said a spokesman for Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States and the European Union.

Unlike Palestine, Israel is not a member of The Hague-based ICC, and has strongly opposed any investigation.

However, ICC judges had paved the way for a war crimes investigation last month, ruling that the tribunal had jurisdiction over events that took place in the occupied Palestinian territories. In December 2019, prosecutor Bensouda had stated that she was requesting a full investigation, after a five-year preliminary investigation, while asking the ICC to judge whether it was competent to investigate the events that took place in the Palestinian territories.

Netanyahu: “Anti-Semitic” research

The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu He said today that the decision of the International Criminal Court to investigate war crimes in the Palestinian territories was “anti-Semitic”.

“Against the anti-Semitic decision of the ICC in The Hague, there is only one answer: to fight for the truth with all our might, around the world, and to protect our soldiers,” Netanyahu wrote in a Twitter message.

The ICC “took a decision that is the very essence of anti-Semitism and hypocrisy. “We are defending every soldier, every officer, every citizen and I promise you that we will fight for the truth until this scandalous decision is annulled,” Netanyahu said in a televised speech.

Before the prime minister, Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi today rejected the ICC’s decision to investigate war crimes in the Palestinian territories, calling it “morally and legally bankrupt”.

Ashkenazi denounced “a political decision by a prosecutor at the end of her term, which turns the court into a tool in the hands of extremists and anti-Semitic organizations.”

“The decision to open an investigation against Israel is a departure from the court’s mandate, and a waste of the international community’s resources from a discriminatory institution that has lost all legitimacy,” the Israeli foreign minister said.

“The investigation will concern the crimes that fall under the jurisdiction of the Court that were allegedly committed in the situation since June 13, 2014,” said the announcement of the Attorney General of the ICC, Fatou Bensouda.

The West Bank has been occupied by Israel since 1967 and the Gaza Strip, from which Israel unilaterally withdrew in 2005, has been under Israeli blockade for more than 10 years.

In 2014, Israel launched an operation to stop Hamas rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into its territory. Nearly 2,250 Palestinians, mostly civilians and 74 Israelis, mostly soldiers, were lost in the war.

The Palestinians welcome the decision, calling for an “urgent” investigation

The Palestinian Authority described the investigation as “necessary” which today welcomed the ruling of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

“The crimes committed by the leaders of the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people, which are ongoing, systematic and generalized crimes, make research necessary and urgent “, announced the Palestinian Foreign Ministry.

He also called on “States parties to respect their responsibilities and not to politicize the conduct of this independent inquiry”, pledging to provide “all (necessary) assistance” to the Court so that it can conduct its inquiry.

The West Bank has been occupied by Israel since 1967 and the Gaza Strip, from which Israel unilaterally withdrew in 2005, has been under Israeli blockade for more than 10 years.

In 2014, Israel launched an operation to stop Hamas rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into its territory. Nearly 2,250 Palestinians, mostly civilians and 74 Israelis, mostly soldiers, were lost in the war.

Bensouda is expected to step down in June and be replaced by Britain’s Karim Khan.