Netherlands asks ‘Israel’ to clarify confiscation of Palestine FM’s travel pass

The Netherlands said it had asked the occupation state of ‘Israel’ to clarify the status of the Palestinian foreign minister after his travel credentials were revoked following a visit to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, reported Reuters.

“We have raised the matter with the [Israeli] embassy [and] informed them that, as a host country, the Netherlands is very invested in the fact that the ICC must be able to carry out its work without interference,” a Dutch Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

“We will not be subject to intimidation as we seek justice for victims of atrocity crimes committed in Palestine,” said Rawan Sulaiman, who serves as head of the Palestinian mission in the Netherlands and Palestinian representative to the ICC.

Sulaiman called on ICC member states “to support the integrity, impartiality and independence of the ICC, particularly, in light of the threats it, and those cooperating with it, continue to face.”

Lately, the occupation state confiscated the VIP border pass of the Foreign Minister upon his return to the West Bank from a meeting at the International Criminal Court.

The Israeli occupation government has declined to comment on the matter.

The Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post, however, on Monday cited an Israeli official as saying that the relationship between the occupation state and the Palestinian Authority will not be “business as usual,” in light of the Palestinian Authority’s successful appeal to have the International Criminal Court investigate Israel for war crimes.

“The Palestinian leadership has to understand there are consequences for their actions,” the Israeli official said.

The Israeli official threatened to cut all joint economic projects with the PA.

“For them to suppose that they can go to the ICC and it will be business as usual from Israel is a very questionable proposition”, he said.

This report comes only one day after the occupation state confiscated the VIP pass of al-Malki.

Commenting on the confiscation of the VIP pass, the Israeli official said that the occupation state is not limiting Malki’s freedom, however, it is taking away “extra privileges” that it had granted to him.

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Fatou Bensouda said recently that she launched a formal probe into war crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories.

“The investigation will cover crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court that are alleged to have been committed in the Situation since 13 June 2014, the date to which reference is made in the Referral of the Situation to my Office,” she added.

‘Israel’ is not a member of the court and rejects its jurisdiction, a position backed by its close ally the United States and other countries who are members of the ICC.

Palestinians have welcomed the ruling as a chance for justice for victims of Israeli attacks.

Palestine has asked the court to look into Israeli war crimes during its 2014 war against the Gaza Strip, when the Israelis killed 2147 Palestinians including women and children, and wounded 10870 others, as well as Israel’s construction of settlements in the occupied West Bank and annexed east Jerusalem. Israeli settlements are illegal under international law.