Palestinian Authority (PA) cabinet leader Mohammad Shtayyeh on Tuesday welcomed the International Criminal Court (ICC) decision to probe Israel for “war crimes”, the PA’s official WAFA news agency reported.
Speaking at a cabinet meeting in Ramallah, Shtayyeh thanked the ICC Prosecutor for her “courage” in deciding to launch the probe despite prior and subsequent challenges.
He affirmed that the PA is willing to cooperate with ICC in providing all data needed to speed up investigations to bring “the perpetrators of crimes to justice.”
Shtayyeh also called on the new US administration to turn its words into action and to work seriously in order to put an end to “Israeli settlement expansion”.
The ICC officially announced last week its intention to launch a probe against Israel over alleged “war crimes”. PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas hailed the move, praising "the independence and courage of the Prosecutor in defending the right and freedoms" as well as "the tireless efforts made in previous years to reach the goals we seek."
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu denounced the ICC’s decision on Wednesday and called it “absurd”, adding, “It's undiluted anti-Semitism and the height of hypocrisy.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Biden Administration opposes the move and stressed, “The ICC has no jurisdiction over this matter. Israel is not a party to the ICC and has not consented to the Court’s jurisdiction, and we have serious concerns about the ICC’s attempts to exercise its jurisdiction over Israeli personnel. The Palestinians do not qualify as a sovereign state and therefore, are not qualified to obtain membership as a state in, participate as a state in, or delegate jurisdiction to the ICC.”