Palestinians to Seek War Crimes Charges Against Israel at Hague Court

Source: New York Times

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinians on Wednesday prepared to submit to the International Criminal Court what they called evidence of Israeli war crimes, a move that will saddle the beleaguered, overstretched court with a new and potentially long-running headache.

The effort is part of the Palestinians’ campaign to punish Israel in the international arena and to advance their push for a state. It signals Palestinian defiance against Israeli threats of retaliation and underscores the breakdown of peace talks.

It comes on the heels of a United Nations Commission of Inquiry report released Monday, which found that both Israel and Palestinian militants might have committed war crimes in last summer’s conflict in Gaza. Palestinians are likely to incorporate parts of the 217-page report into the files they submit Thursday to the court, based at The Hague.

“We offered information on Israeli violations to international law which could amount to war crimes, and the aim is to convince the chief prosecutor to open an investigation that could lead to her making charges,” said Ghassan Khatib, the vice president of Birzeit University in the West Bank and a member of the Palestinian committee tasked with following up at the international court.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/25/world/middleeast/palestinians-to-accuse-israel-of-war-crimes-in-international-court.html?_r=0