Senior Israeli Official: 'US pressure will be vengeful, require IDF to cease operating in area A'
Anonymous source indicates that Palestinians expected to utilize the International Criminal Court at the Hague, as well as the UN Security Council.
By JPOST.COM STAFFThe International Criminal Court in The Hague(photo credit: REUTERS)
A senior Israeli official claimed that should Washington pressure Israel on it's policy concerning the Palestinians, it would be for political reasons and as retribution for Prime Minister Netanyahu's victory in March's elections.Israel radio reported Thursday the statements of a senior Israeli official, who asked not to be identified, suggesting that US pressure may come in the form of requests to prevent the IDF from operating in area A of the West Bank. Such a maneuver, which he said would be part of a reaction to the formation of the prime minister's fourth and increasingly right-wing government, would end the relative calm in the West Bank and spark significant instability.Additionally, the anonymous source indicated that the Palestinians are expected to utilize the International Criminal Court at the Hague as well as the UN Security Council and that any pressure on Israel might lend these decisions more momentum than they currently enjoy.These statements come in light of the Vatican's recognition of the "state of Palestine" and the Holy See's agreement with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, which “deals with essential aspects of the life and activity of the Catholic Church in Palestine,” according to the Church.Additionally, Israel has also come under mounting pressure from ICC prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, who stirred "surprise" among Israeli diplomatic sources after she warned that if Israel does not provide reliable information concerning Israel's operation against Hamas last summer, she will consider launching a full-scale investigation into alleged war crimes based only on Palestinian allegations.
