Hamas, PA hail ICC probe into Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Palestinians welcome decision by International Criminal Court to launch an inquiry into possible war crimes in the Palestinian territories.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
Hamas militants (photo credit: REUTERS)
Hamas militants
(photo credit: REUTERS)
The Palestinian Authority and Hamas on Saturday welcomed the International Criminal Court’s decision to launch a preliminary examination into alleged “war crimes” in the Palestinian territories.
The PA Foreign Ministry hailed the decision as a “positive and significant step toward achieving justice and respecting international law.”
The ministry said the Palestinian decision to join the ICC was aimed at “putting an end to Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
It said that the Palestinians were seeking to bring the perpetrators of war crimes to international justice “in honor of the martyrs and to protect the Palestinians from becoming victims to future violations.”
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri also praised the ICC decision as a “step in the right direction.” He called for pursuing all efforts to bring Israeli leaders to trial.
Another Hamas official, Izzat al-Risheq, said his movement was prepared to provide the ICC with documents and reports about “Israeli war crimes” against the Gaza Strip.
Al-Risheq said that the ICC decision was an important, adding that Palestinians have waited for many years for this move.