Palestinians preparing ICC files

[Jefferson23]

February 1, 2015


An Israeli mobile artillery unit fires towards the southern Gaza, Aug. 1, 2014. Israeli air and artillery bombardment of the eastern edge of Rafah killed around 150 people in a matter of hours that day, drawing international condemnation. (photo by REUTERS/Baz Ratner)

RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestine’s accession to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on April 1, announced Jan. 6 by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, will provide an opportunity to investigate Israeli leaders on charges of alleged war crimes. This, in turn, will have an impact on the nature of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and its instruments. After signing the Rome Treaty, the Palestinians will be allowed to present legal filings lodging complaints against Israeli officials at the court, but such moves also present obligations and challenges for Palestinian institutional authorities.

An ICC prosecutor announced Jan. 16 that the court would open a preliminary investigation into possible Israeli war crimes committed against Palestinians since June 2014, the month before the most recent Gaza war began. This came after Palestine submitted a declaration Jan. 1 to the ICC stating its acceptance of the court’s jurisdiction retroactively to June 13, 2014. Under Article 3.12 of the Rome Statute establishing the ICC, the court thus acquired judicial authority to investigate alleged crimes committed in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, since the June date.

In reference to the preliminary investigation into the Gaza war, Hassan al-Aouri, a legal adviser to President Mahmoud Abbas, told Al-Monitor, “We will support this." He also said: “We will submit another file regarding settlements. The latter affect the core of the conflict and are considered a war crime.”

Aouri said work is already underway on the settlements file. The Rome Statute states that war crimes include “the transfer, directly or indirectly, by the occupying power of parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies, or the deportation or transfer of all or parts of the population of the occupied territory within or outside this territory.”

Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/01/palestinian-icc-gaza-war-crimes-west-bank-settlements.html#ixzz3Qbuhm2hI

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

1. Some knob-head that posts here wants everybody to believe that Israelis squatting in the West Bank

are just there by their own power; so the argument is that Israel did not transfer them.

I guess there are also equally shallow arguments for the IDF protecting these gangsta settlements while turning a blind eye, or even participating in, destruction of Palestinian property.

[Jefferson23]

2. The record is clear on both. I do hope that Abbas can withstand the pressure that will

come financially with the ICC filings..as you can see from recent past posts, the
money promised to Gaza is no where to be found. Not a likely coincidence, imho.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

3. It was always going to be a hard road to travel, but what are the alternatives?

More of the same until nothing is left: with settlers and their ...ahem liberal cheerleaders: gleefully dancing on the Palestinian grave?


BTW: How's Down Under?

[Jefferson23]

4. There aren't many alternatives, that's the concern.

I live in Connecticut...you might be thinking of shay? It's summer in Australia...I am
envious.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

5. Oh, I thought you were Australian. I didn't know you are a fellow New Englander.

See you later. Going to dig out now.

[Jefferson23]

6. Good luck..the freezing rain turned back to snow where I am..hope the same for you.

[shaayecanaan]

7. it was 118 Fahrenheit in port hedland the other day

To put that in perspective, meat starts to cook at about 114. My sister works as a nurse not far from there. You find a large body of water or air-conditioning or you die. She keeps the bathtub at home full of cold water in case the aircon conks out.

It is physically painful to inhale. You hope that you don't have to take more than three breaths from leaving the car to opening the door of wherever you're going.

Not as bad as that where I live but still a couple of 107 days. I have an aircon but it is an old house so basically all it can do is fight a losing battle with the sun. I take the kids to the shopping centre and stay there till late afternoon.

Thankfully the bad heat is past, touch wood.

[Jefferson23]

8. I had no idea it was that brutal..so dangerously so. Your description took care of my envy.

How long a period of time do you generally see the temp that high?

Thank goodness you're having some relief now...may it continue.

Here in Connecticut, we may see -5 degrees Thursday night..that is not typical for us, not at all.

Wishing you and yours a happy new year too...stay well.

[shaayecanaan]

10. usually january is the worst

You get some relief in February and the fever breaks traditionally by the third week of march.

The really extreme temperatures are in the interior, where hardly any people live. Actually quite pleasant here today. Still horribly hot over western Australia though.

Currently there is a 200km fire front to the south of the country. The forest fires are becoming worse with the advent of global warming.

In a lot of places the overnight temps are quite cool, but the daytime temps are roaring. Quite dangerous for overseas tourists who often have no real idea of just how hot 45C temps are.

The same to you, for all my complaining about the heat I hate the cold even more.

[Jefferson23]

11. The extreme weather patterns are everywhere..one day if I am fortunate to travel

to Australia, I will now know what time of year to plan on going.

[Jefferson23]

9. What next after Palestine's ICC bid?

Saturday, 10 January 2015



President Abbas has applied for Palestine’s membership in the International Criminal Court, paving the way for trials of Israeli officials on war crimes. Whether this will ever happen is an open question, writes Amira Howeidy

The one thing both Palestinians and Israelis agreed on earlier this week, in describing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s move to admit Palestine as a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC) as a “desperate” act, might be accurate. But the legitimacy, necessity and repercussions of the move are hotly contested between the two sides, even a week later.

It will take the international court 60 days to process and accept Palestine’s membership. This is perhaps the start of the ICC’s biggest challenge and a real test for its relevance as an arbitrator of international justice as the explosive case of the longest occupation in modern history arrives at its porch.

All the nine investigations opened by the ICC since its inception in 2002 have been limited to the least politically controversial situations in African civil wars and conflicts. It has been criticised for focusing on sub-Saharan Africa and black Africans only while turning a blind eye to allegations of war crimes elsewhere, including in the Middle East.

Because Palestine — whose territories are under Israeli occupation since 1967, as per the UN, and which has been negotiating the creation of its state with the Israelis for over 20 years, and failing in the process — was previously not officially recognised as a state, it couldn’t sign the ICC’s founding treaty, the Rome Statute.

But in 2012 Palestine was recognised by the UN as a non-member observer state, which gave it the opportunity to sign the Rome Statute. Despite two wars by Israel on the occupied Palestinian enclave of Gaza since, Palestinian Authority Chairman Abbas refused to take the historic step of joining the ICC due to intense pressure and threats by both Israel and the United States.

in full: http://www.pchrgaza.org/portal/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10819:what-next-after-palestines-icc-bid&catid=130:links-from-other-links&Itemid=228

[hack89]

12. And Israel can file charges against Hamas. Nt

[azurnoir]

13. soon as it signs the Rome Statutes sure :)

[hack89]

14. True.

fortunately the ICC has more sense than to take on Israel and America so nothing will come of it.