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| A Palestinian woman stands next to her home near the site of an Israeli air strike the previous night in Gaza City on Thursday (AFP photo) |
"THE HAGUE — The International Criminal
Court's (ICC) chief prosecutor said on Friday she wanted to open a full
investigation into alleged war crimes in the Palestinian territories,
sparking a furious reaction from Israel and condemnation from the United
States.
The
Palestinians welcomed the move by the ICC as a "long overdue step"
following a nearly five-year preliminary probe by the prosecutor into
the situation since the 2014 war in Gaza.
Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the decision made the Hague-based
court, which Israel has refused to sign up to since its creation in
2002, a "political tool" against Israel.
"I
am satisfied that there is a reasonable basis to proceed with an
investigation into the situation in Palestine," ICC Prosecutor Fatou
Bensouda said in a statement.
"In
brief, I am satisfied that war crimes have been or are being committed
in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip", she
added, without specifying the perpetrators of the alleged crimes.
She said that before opening a full
probe, she would ask the ICC to rule on the territory over which it has
jurisdiction because of the "unique and highly contested legal and
factual issues attaching to this situation.
"Specifically,
I have sought confirmation that the 'territory' over which the court
may exercise its jurisdiction, and which I may subject to investigation,
comprises the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza." "
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