International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda made the right decision given the facts when she announced that Israel has been and is continuing to commit war crimes in the West Bank, and in the Gaza Strip and that there is no reason that a criminal investigation would not serve the interests of justice, said Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, the Palestinian News and Info Agency (WAFA) reported.
“Adalah believes that, based upon the numerous reports of human rights organizations and United Nations commissions of inquiry over the years, the ICC prosecutor has made the right decision given the facts. No other decision could have been possible. We welcome her position, and we believe that the ICC has full jurisdiction to decide on the concerned criminal cases,” it said in a statement.
“Adalah, as an NGO with expertise in Israeli law that has submitted Israeli Supreme Court petitions and complaints relating to most of Israel’s military operations since 2002 in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, is prepared to submit its legal materials and opinions on these matters,” it added.
For 18 years, since Israel’s 2002 military operation in the occupied West Bank (“Defensive Shield”), Adalah has been documenting facts and challenging Israel’s actions before the Israeli attorney general and the Israeli Supreme Court, and reporting to international expert United Nations commissions of inquiry.
Bensouda made her dramatic statement after conducting a thorough preliminary examination into the situation in Palestine over the past five years. She also asked Palestinian victims and human rights organizations to cooperate with the investigation.
Edited for IMEMC: Ali Salam
