ISRAELI Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the Tel Aviv regime will not permit its soldiers to appear at the International Criminal Court (ICC) and face potential war crime charges.
On Sunday, the Israeli premier said the regime would not allow its military forces to “be dragged” to The Hague-based criminal court after Palestinian officials formally submitted Palestine’s ICC membership documents to the United Nations.
He added that the Palestinians have “chosen to take a path of confrontation with Israel, and we will not sit idly by.”
Palestinian ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour said Friday that the ICC membership would pave the way for Palestinian authorities to seek justice for the victims of the Israeli regime’s aggression.
Mansour also confirmed that the Palestinian envoy to The Hague had officially asked the ICC to launch an investigation into Israel’s war crimes during the regime’s 50-day military offensive on Gaza last summer.
Earlier this week, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signed the documents necessary for Palestine to join 20 international organizations, including the ICC.
Abbas’ decision is believed to be closely related to the outcome of a UN Security Council meeting on December 30, when the 15-nation body failed to pass a resolution requiring Israel to end its occupation of the Palestinian territories captured in 1967.
Israel has launched three wars on Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip since 2008. During the latest military aggression against Gaza in summer 2014, Tel Aviv killed over 2,140 Palestinians and destroyed thousands of homes.
Palestine has currently an observer status at the ICC. (Press TV)
Link:http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2015/01/04/391553/Israel-wont-let-ICC-trial-of-soldiers
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