The Palestinian Authority “foreign ministry” on Wednesday called on the UN Security Council and the International Criminal Court in The Hague "to assume their legal and moral responsibility for the ongoing settlement crime and to implement the relevant UN resolutions, in particular UN Security Council Resolution 2334."
In a statement, the “ministry” condemned Israel's decision to lay the foundation for the construction of 350 new housing units in Beit El as part of what it called "a policy that seeks to annex the territories and thwart the possibility of an independent and sustainable Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital."
It accused the Israeli government of "settlement crimes, house demolitions and forced displacement of Palestinian civilians", citing "war crimes" and "crimes against humanity."
The PA “foreign ministry” also stressed that "settlement in all its forms is illegal in accordance with international law and conventions, and that this issue has been referred to the International Criminal Court."
According to the “ministry”, its people continue to submit periodic reports to the International Criminal Court on what is happening in Judea and Samaria in an attempt to urge it to expedite the investigation against Israel.
The PA officially joined the ICC on April 1, 2015, and immediately filed a series of legal complaints with the court. In addition to claiming that Israel committed war crimes during the 2014 Gaza war, it also claimed that Israeli “settlements” are “an ongoing war crime”.
The PA has had standing at the court since the UN General Assembly recognized the "state of Palestine" as a non-member observer in 2012.