PA calls for ICC probe into Israeli war crimes

The Palestinian Authority says it has sent a memorandum to The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) in a bid to seek justice for “all Israeli crimes” committed in the occupied Palestinian lands.

On Friday, Palestinian UN observer Riyad Mansour called on the court to adjudicate on war crimes committed against Palestinians during Israel’s December 2008-January 2009 war on the Gaza Strip.

Mansour also said the Palestinian Authority had created a commission to investigate the crime allegations leveled against it.

Regarding the war crimes changes against both Hamas and Israel, he said the commission did not view potential wrongdoing on the Palestinian side as seriously as any acts by Israel.

“There is absolutely no symmetry or proportionality between the occupying power and the occupied people,” he added.

A UN Human Rights Council report that was compiled by a team led by the South African judge Richard Goldstone has accused Israel of war crimes during the three week war in the region.

Mansour pleaded for ICC involvement in adjudicating the allegations, saying the representatives of the Palestinian authority have met several times with representatives of the ICC and called on the court to pen an investigation into the case.

He also criticized the UN Security Council, saying that it “has not carried out its responsibility” over bringing the case to ICC.

The Goldstone report could be referred to the council for action and ultimately to the International Criminal Court, but with the United States — a strong ally of Israel — as a member of the body, the move seems very unlikely.