Palestinians’ Erekat: PA to ‘Intensify’ International Criminal Court Effort After Likud Win
by JNS.org
JNS.org – In the wake of the sweeping win by the Likud party, headed by current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in the Israeli elections on Tuesday, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said that the Palestinian Authority will push forward on war crimes charges against Israel in the International Criminal Court (ICC).
“It is clear that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will form the next government, and for that, we say clearly that we will go to the Hague Tribunal, we will accelerate, continue, and intensify [the effort to prosecute Israel],” Erekat told AFP.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas first formally applied for admission to the ICC in January, and the PA is expected to be admitted by April 1. In the meantime, the ICC has already initiated an investigation into Israel’s actions during last summer’s Operation Protective Edge in Gaza.
Erekat blamed the international community for the decisive victory by Netanyahu’s Likud party. “Such a result would not have been possible had the international community held Israel to account for its systematic violations of international law,” he said in a statement.