Palestinians to press war-crimes case against Israel

[webfact]

Palestinians to press war-crimes case against Israel
JOSEF FEDERMAN, Associated Press
MOHAMMED DARAGHMEH, Associated Press

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Turning up the pressure on Israel, the Palestinians announced Wednesday that they are joining the International Criminal Court to pursue war-crimes charges against the Jewish state — a risky, high-stakes move that brought threats of retaliation from Israel and criticism from the U.S.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas acted a day after suffering a defeat in the U.N. Security Council, which voted down a resolution setting a three-year deadline for the establishment of a Palestinian state on lands occupied by Israel.

"We want to complain. There's aggression against us, against our land. The Security Council disappointed us," Abbas said.

Turning to the international court at The Hague marks a major policy shift, transforming Abbas' relations with Israel from tense to openly hostile. The ultimate goal is to pressure Israel into withdrawing from the territories and agreeing to Palestinian statehood.

The strategy carries risks, including the possibility the Palestinians themselves could be accused of war crimes over rocket attacks by the extremist group Hamas on Israeli population centers and other violence against Jewish targets.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to take unspecified "retaliatory steps." In Washington, State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke said the U.S. was "deeply troubled" by the Palestinians' "escalatory step." He said it was "entirely counterproductive and does nothing to further the aspirations of the Palestinian people for a sovereign and independent state."

At the international court, the Palestinians could seek to have Israeli military or political figures prosecuted for alleged crimes involving settlement construction on occupied lands or actions by the military that cause heavy civilian casualties, for instance.

Israel is not a member of the court and does not recognize its jurisdiction. And the court has no police force and no authority to go into Israel and arrest suspects. But it could issue arrest warrants that would make it difficult for Israeli officials to travel abroad.

Abbas has been under heavy pressure to take stronger action against Israel amid months of rising tensions over the collapse of U.S.-brokered peace talks last spring, a 50-day war between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza over the summer, a recent spate of deadly Palestinian attacks on Israeli targets, and Israeli restrictions on access to a key Muslim holy site in Jerusalem.

The Palestinians planned to submit the paperwork for joining the ICC to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday afternoon, but postponed it, probably until Friday. Handing over the documents is the last formal step for Palestine to become a member of the ICC, which would happen in about 60 days.

Israel could take a number of retaliatory actions, including building more settlements, restricting financial transfers to the Palestinians, or curbing certain privileges. The U.S. has not said how it will react, but it provides hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the Palestinians.

In a statement, Netanyahu said Israel will protect its troops from prosecution, calling the country's army "the most moral" in the world. He warned that Abbas' Palestinian Authority is "the one who needs to fear the International Criminal Court."

The court would be able to prosecute only crimes committed from here on in, not past offenses, said Robbie Sabel, an international law expert at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Sabel agreed the Palestinians themselves could be at risk of prosecution.

"On the other side of the coin — and this is why the Palestinians have hesitated up until now — is that any Palestinian who commits a war crime anywhere in the world and has not been tried by a Palestinian court could also be subject to the jurisdiction of the court," he said. "So it works both ways."

The Palestinian U.N. ambassador, Riyad Mansour, has said repeatedly that the Palestinians are not afraid of that possibility.

Balkees Jarrah, international justice counsel at Human Rights Watch, called the Palestinian move to join the court "an overdue but welcome step toward impartial justice for serious crimes by Israelis and Palestinians alike. This move by Ramallah sends a strong message that the days of near total impunity that have characterized this conflict could be ending."

The Palestinians seek the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem — areas captured by Israel in 1967. Netanyahu, who is seeking re-election in March, has said Palestinian independence can be achieved only through negotiations.

Turning to the court became an option for Abbas in 2012 after the United Nations recognized "Palestine" as a non-member observer state.

Abbas made his announcement as the long-dominant Fatah party marked its 50th anniversary.

Yasser Arafat founded Fatah in 1965 with the goal of destroying Israel. The party rose to prominence in the 1970s and '80s with a series of hijackings and other attacks. Over time, Fatah moderated and accepted Israel's right to exist, while seeking a Palestinian state. Arafat died in 2004.
___

Associated Press writers Michael Corder at The Hague; Ian Deitch in Jerusalem; Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations; and Deb Riechmann in Washington contributed to this report.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-01-01

[Somtamnication]

Good, about time! What a disgrace yesterday at the so called America always vetoes "security council". What a joke!

[NeverSure]

[kingalfred]

Palestine joining International Criminal Court and perhaps can get some movement on the massacre of 2000 in Gaza strip last year. Of course the report mentions the USA "condemning"Palestine. USA and Israel not members of the ICC for obvious self protecting interests

[ezzra]

They will have as much success in achieving victory there as in in the UN security consul.

But first, stop killing your neighbors and each other, stop being a 'refuges' for nearly 70 years now, stop being stubborn and see what you can work out a solutions with Israel, forget about Jerusalem and a 'refuges' right to return, this will not happened, ever...

If you want to get yourselves out of the 19th century living, disengage the Hamas, renounce Iran and refuse any help from entities that are at odd with Israel... For over 60 years now, Arabs of all nation creed and color have tried and failed to dislodge Israel from it's rightful place to exist and live in peace, why do you think that you will succeeds where so many others have failed? move on, move forward.... for the sake of your future generations...

Edited January 1, 2015 by Scott

[Jingthing]

Thanks a nice New Year's dream, ezzra, with bupkis chance of actually happening though.

[Credo]

Good, about time! What a disgrace yesterday at the so called America always vetoes "security council". What a joke!

There was no veto. The resolution was defeated.

You might want to note this from the OP:

The U.S. has not said how it will react, but it provides hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the Palestinians.

[Thaiready]

Talk about the Kettle calling the Pot black.

[ehs818]

Sadly there will never be peace in the Middle East in my life time. I knew this in the 60's and not a thing has changed. As Abba Ebban said, "The Palestinians have never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity." As true today as it has always been.

[ezzra]

Good, about time! What a disgrace yesterday at the so called America always vetoes "security council". What a joke!

It would have been by more than one vote if it wasn't for the hypotactic France, who saw nothing wrong in colonizing Algeria and Morocco and other Arab/Muslims countries in north Africa back in the days, but now that they are drowning in a sea of radical Islam in their midst, they calling to a Palestinians to Have a state, hoping perhaps to look good in the eye of the millions of Muslims/Arabs living in France now.... or perhaps, that some of them will leave France and go back to the 'new country'.....

[ezzra]

The hypocrisy of European countries know no bounds, HarperCollins publications in the UK, the largest map provider has recently issued a map of the middle east not showing the state of Israel on it...

here's a link..

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-not-included-in-harpercollins-map-used-by-children-in-middle-east-9951550.html

Edited January 1, 2015 by Sheryl
vulgar language removed by Moderator

[drand11]

Comical!! Palestinians shoot missiles endlessly toward civilian cities...and they claim Israel commits war crimes!

Palestinians love their Hamas. Sad!

[drand11]

Abbas chooses to team w Hamas.. he has chosen a path of futility with Hamas. Hamas brings nothing but hate and a black hole of progress. Abbas is leading his people down a dark road w Hamas!

[dietergerhard]

Excellent ... The Israelis are doing worse to them then what my country did to the Jews. What hypocrites. And they wonder why there is a world wide rise of anti Semitic.

[Scott]

Off-topic posts have been removed along with replies. This topic is about Palestinian's effort to bring war crimes against Israel.

Please stay on topic.

[ezzra]

Excellent ... The Israelis are doing worse to them then what my country did to the Jews. What hypocrites. And they wonder why there is a world wide rise of anti Semitic.

I assume that you're either German, Polish Hungarian, Ukrainian or of the other European country who either turned a blind eye or sent millions of Jews, and other unfortunate people to their barbarian demise... are you seriously compare Israel, defending it self, to the atrocities committed in WWII to what is going on in the middle east now? really?......

[dietergerhard]

Defending itself ! Laser guided state of the art Missiles, tanks, war planes, helicopters, and more against sticks and stones and a some 2nd rate missiles ... One land grab after another ... Take a look at a map of Israel and Palestine in the 40s then take a look at one today ... Another 10 years or less and Israel will have it all having driven them in to the sea

Edited January 1, 2015 by Sheryl
Vulgar language removed by Moderator

[Ulysses G.]

What map of Palestine? The borders that the Palestinians rejected when they declared war on Israel? That was their own fault. I wonder if that will be one of the "war crimes" that Israel is accused of - defending themselves against an attack by 5 Arab armies.

[ezzra]

Defending itself ! Laser guided state of the art Missiles, tanks, war planes, helicopters, and more against sticks and stones and a some 2nd rate missiles ... One land grab after another ... Take a look at a map of Israel and Palestine in the 40s then take a look at one today ... Another 10 years or less and Israel will have it all having driven them in to the sea

First of all, you have your bearing wrong, Israel I on the sea, Palestinians to the mountains..

Second, if you're stupid enough to use stick and stones against a mightier army, than you deserve what coming to you.

Thirdly. this is not about Palestinians rights any more, it's a regional/global power play, where Arabs and Muslims are looking to expand their power base and return to the day of the Islamic empire glory of a 1000 years ago.. see ISIS and what they're doing now to other Muslims.

Lastly, when you have countries with vast interests in the region, be it religious, financials or just expansion territorial's plans, that arm and finance from far away, Russia, Qatar etc. etc. it become anything else but Israeli/Palestinians issue.....

[fakser]

You live in a virtual reality, created by the vscious propaganda network of the Muslims and the antishemitics. In all the 100 years of conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, the were less than 30,000 casualties on the Arab side. Less than 1 month of slouther victims in Syria. Muslims have slouthered over 2 Millions of other Muslims. 40 millions of citizens were transfered (relocated) since WWII, Darfur, Algeria, Egept, Lebanon, Lybia, Jordan, Iraq, Afghanistan, South Africa, Slovenia, and many more, commited horrifying crimes against humanity agianst innoscent civilans. Yet the Security council, issued 20 condemnations aginst Israel and only 1 aginst Syria. This is the double morals that you worship. Yes, Israel has the most sophisticated precise weapon systems. This is the exact reason to the low count of civilian casualties. Yes, I repeat, LOW COUNT OF CIVILIAN CASUALTIES. Any other coutry, including, UN, US, UK, France and Germany destroys terror nests in mass bombing calling the thousands of civilians "Inevitable casualties".

You should know better than others, that repeating a lie, times and again, embedds it in the minds of ignorant/hatefull/rascist peapole, as mare truth

Defending itself! Laser guided state of the art Missiles, tanks, war planes, helicopters, and more against sticks and stones and a some 2nd rate missiles ... One land grab after another ... Take a look at a map of Israel and Palestine in the 40s then take a look at one today ... Another 10 years or less and Israel will have it all having driven them in to the sea

[Ulysses G.]

ImageUploadedByThaivisa Connect Thailand1420082581.67496pg

That is NOT a real map and has been outed as false propaganda many times on this forum. It is a map of Mandatory Palestine, which was a geopolitical entity under the British. It was never an independent Arab state and never controlled by the generic Arabs who came to be called Palestinians in the 1960s. .

Edited January 1, 2015 by Ulysses G.

[ABCer]

Sadly I must agree with ehs818.

There will never be peace between Arabs and Jews in Palestine.

And it is not due to 'missed opportunities' by Arabs. They are not stupid and can see a deal when there is one.

The main reason is their goals always was, is and will be - no Jews in Palestine! And the Jews will never agree with this!

Those Arabs who didn't mind living with the Jews - are happy part of Israel. The others never will!

The Israelis IMHO are making some very stupid mistakes:

1) believe in any possibility of a Peace Deal with Arabs including 'Peace for Land' concept;

2) having won three major wars are begging for Peace and recognition giving away for free advantages paid by blood;

3) have too much regard for International opinion, UN and other such things which have outlived their usefulness and have completely changed their nature and goals from their inception;

4) prepared to believe in any word, promise, paper signed and sealed by any Arab country, leader, group or Gov't;

Sometimes I wonder how the Jews managed to get their acclaimed status of being clever ?

As to the ICC question - isn't it a common case of a thief crying "stop the thief" and pointing a finger elsewhere?

[ezzra]

Sadly I must agree with ehs818.

There will never be peace between Arabs and Jews in Palestine.

And it is not due to 'missed opportunities' by Arabs. They are not stupid and can see a deal when there is one.

The main reason is their goals always was, is and will be - no Jews in Palestine! And the Jews will never agree with this!

Those Arabs who didn't mind living with the Jews - are happy part of Israel. The others never will!

The Israelis IMHO are making some very stupid mistakes:

1) believe in any possibility of a Peace Deal with Arabs including 'Peace for Land' concept;

2) having won three major wars are begging for Peace and recognition giving away for free advantages paid by blood;

3) have too much regard for International opinion, UN and other such things which have outlived their usefulness and have completely changed their nature and goals from their inception;

4) prepared to believe in any word, promise, paper signed and sealed by any Arab country, leader, group or Gov't;

Sometimes I wonder how the Jews managed to get their acclaimed status of being clever ?

As to the ICC question - isn't it a common case of a thief crying "stop the thief" and pointing a finger elsewhere?

"Sometimes I wonder how the Jews managed to get their acclaimed status of being clever ?"

Try 5 millions Jews surviving against 10s of millions well armed Arab armies for the last 60+ years, try blooming a mosquito infected swamps, what than Palestine use to be at the beginning of the last century to a what Israel is now, a leading country in all and every filed know to men...

if this is not clever enough for you, I don't know what is than....

[SOTIRIOS]

....pleading for human rights.....response.......threats.....

....that about sums it up.......

[dexterm]

Looks like its panic stations in Israel, now that their war criminals will be named and shamed before the whole world. More writing on the wall for the end of what John Kerry described as "the unsustainable status quo".

What else could Abbas do?

“They attack us and our land every day, to whom are we to complain? The security council let us down – where are we to go?” Abbas told a gathering of Palestinian leaders in remarks broadcast on official television.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/31/palestinian-president-international-criminal-court

What do the hypocritical US and Israeli governments prefer: the Abbas way appealing peacefully to the referee or the Hamas way? They should be praising the PA leader for choosing the non combatant path not criticizing him.

Netanyahu said that the Palestinians had more to fear from the ICC than Israel. Why do they object to the move then...hmmm strange?

Netanyahu added that Israel will act "to protect soldiers of the IDF – the most moral army in the world."

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.634753

..well that's handy, because now they will be able to prove that in court won't they?.

It may take years for the war criminals to be held responsible. But it will be interesting to see Israeli politicians and individual IDF found guilty afraid to visit signatory countries where they may be arrested.

Just on a technical note...

The ICC can prosecute individuals accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed since 1 July 2002, when the Rome statute came into force.

The court can pursue an individual only if crimes were committed on the territory of a state party – one that has signed and ratified the Rome statute – or by a citizen of such a state. Israel has signed but not ratified the treaty.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/31/palestinian-president-international-criminal-court

Perhaps Israel and the US should ratify the ICC treaty themselves if they wish to prosecute Hamas. What have they got to lose?

[JDGRUEN]

Palestine joining International Criminal Court and perhaps can get some movement on the massacre of 2000 in Gaza strip last year. Of course the report mentions the USA "condemning"Palestine. USA and Israel not members of the ICC for obvious self protecting interests

How many of the 2000 Hamas terrorists were killed in they dung tunnels to Israel or coming out of them inside Israel?

[JDGRUEN]

Excellent ... The Israelis are doing worse to them then what my country did to the Jews. What hypocrites. And they wonder why there is a world wide rise of anti Semitic.

Totally unsupported hyperbole ...

[JDGRUEN]

Defending itself my German ass! Laser guided state of the art Missiles, tanks, war planes, helicopters, and more against sticks and stones and a some 2nd rate missiles ... One land grab after another ... Take a look at a map of Israel and Palestine in the 40s then take a look at one today ... Another 10 years or less and Israel will have it all having driven them in to the sea

There is an easy way to avoid being on the wrong end of all that Israeli military hardware -- stop rocketing Israel - stop building tunnels into Israel - stop sending terrorists through those tunnels to attack Israel - stop making war with Israel ...

[Baerboxer]

The hypocrisy and Arab ass kissing of European countries know no bounds, HarperCollins publications in the UK, the largest map provider has recently issued a map of the middle east not showing the state of Israel on it...

here's a link..

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/israel-not-included-in-harpercollins-map-used-by-children-in-middle-east-9951550.html

That is disgraceful. So will they be amending maps of Russia, Crimea and Ukraine for sales in the greater Russian Federation? And re-mapping the South China Sea islands so as not to offend the Chinese with copies sold there?

This is dumber than when in a UK dictionary Thailand was referred to as a land of prostitutes in the early 90's.

I hope Israel complains in the strongest terms to the British Government.

[siampolee]

JDGRUEN post # 31.

There is an easy way to avoid being on the wrong end of all that Israeli military hardware -- stop rocketing Israel - stop building tunnels into Israel - stop sending terrorists through those tunnels to attack Israel - stop making war with Israel ...

There is an easy way to avoid being on the wrong end of all that Palestinian military hardware -- stop rocketing Palestine - stop building new settlements in illegally occupied land in Palestine

- stop sending Zionist terrorist settlers into that illegally occupied land , - stop making war with Palestine ...