"Only states can join the ICC, and some here do not officially recognise Palestine as a state. On 1 April 2015 Palestine officially became a fully-fledged member of the International Criminal Court. The ICC train already departed," said Xavier Abu Eid, a spokesman for Palestine Liberation Organisation.April 1, however, will be primarily ceremonial, with Palestinian foreign minister Riad Malki receiving a copy of the Rome Statute, the ICC's founding treaty.While some Palestinian officials announced the date as the day they would file complaints against Israelis, in reality it is more likely they will wait, as state members are only able to draw the court's attention to specific cases.In addition, they will be holding on to see the outcomes of a preliminary probe launched by ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda on January 16.At the same time that Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas sought ICC accession, he also sent the court documents authorising the prosecutor to investigate alleged crimes that took place in Palestinian territories since June 13, 2014.The unrest in June escalated to the summer war between Israel and Gaza fighters, which left dead 2,200 Palestinians and 73 on the Israeli side.So far, no ICC investigation of Israeli officials has been launched and no time framework has been set for one.But the Palestinians are confident they will happen sooner rather than later, considering "all the attention to Palestine" at the ICC.The Palestinians reject the argument the Israeli officials cannot be tried at the ICC, because Israel is not a signatory of the Rome Statute, maintaining the court can also investigate crimes committed on the territory of member states.
The accession was marked at a closed-door ceremony at ICC headquarters in The Hague, exactly 90 days after Palestine joined the court’s founding Rome Statute. A few days ago, a nine-year-old...It is fairly clear that neither Ms Aidrus nor Dr Mirza resigned voluntarily.THE word ‘unprecedented’ is often used in reference to the oppressive tactics being used against the media in...PAKISTAN is plagued by lawlessness, it is often said. The prosecutor subsequently opened a preliminary examination to determine whether a full investigation is warranted. Israel is not a member of ICC, but the State of Palestine was allowed to join in 2015. Bensouda also found "a reasonable basis to believe that members of Israel is accused of illegally establishing West Bank settlements and violating the laws of war during the On 30 April, 2020, Bensouda stood by her initial finding, writing "The Prosecution has carefully considered the observations of the participants and remains of the view that the Court has jurisdiction over the Occupied Palestinian Territory,"
In June 2016, Palestine ratified both the Kampala amendments, becoming the 30th state to ratify the amendment on the crime of aggression. While the Palestinian Authority expressed its desire to accept ICC jurisdiction, it was only following its upgrade to “non-member state” observer status at the United Nations that Palestine could finally accede to the Rome Statute on 2 January 2015, giving the ICC jurisdiction from that date forward. In April 2012, the OTP rejected a special ad hoc declaration by Palestine under Rome Statute article 12(3) in 2009 accepting the Court’s jurisdiction over acts committed on its territory since 1 July 2002.