Turkey welcomes ICC ruling it has jurisdiction to probe ‘Israel’ for war crimes
Ankara (QNN)- Turkey has welcomed the ruling of the International Criminal Court (ICC) that it has jurisdiction to open a criminal investigation into ‘Israel’ for war crimes in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, calling this step a “meaningful step towards holding Israel accountable for its crimes in the Palestinian territories.”
“This decision of the ICC is a meaningful step towards holding Israel accountable for its crimes in the Palestinian territories and identifying those who are responsible for these crimes,” said the Turkish Foreign Ministry in a statement.
Press Release Regarding the Ruling of the International Criminal Court on Its Jurisdiction Over the Occupied Palestinian Territories https://t.co/5vlzZfgCkb pic.twitter.com/PlqNWUa8pF
— Turkish MFA (@MFATurkey) February 6, 2021
It continued, “The ICC decision will also contribute to the implementation of the Resolution on the Protection of the Palestinian Civilian Population, which was adopted at the UN General Assembly, under the leadership of Turkey during its Summit Presidency of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.”
It also said that the support of the international community to this decision “is of great importance to establish deterrence against Israel’s excessive and disproportionate use of force against the Palestinian people.
On Friday, the International Criminal Court said that its jurisdiction extends to territories occupied by ‘Israel’ in the 1967 war, clearing the way for its chief prosecutor to open a war crimes probe into Israeli war crimes.
“The Court’s territorial jurisdiction in the Situation in Palestine … extends to the territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem,” the judges said.
The ICC’s chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, said in 2019 that there was a reasonable basis to open a war crimes probe into Israeli war crimes against native Palestinians in the Gaza Strip as well as Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank. But she asked the court to determine whether she has territorial jurisdiction before proceeding with the case.
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.
➡️the Court's territorial jurisdiction in the Situation in Palestine extends to the territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
— Int'l Criminal Court (@IntlCrimCourt) February 5, 2021
