RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) – The U.N. has accepted a request by observer state Palestine to join the International Criminal Court, clearing the way for possible war crimes complaints against Israel. Palestinians hope the tribunal will give them more leverage in a lopsided conflict and keep a distracted world focused on their statehood claims.
But prosecution of Israel is not assured, and cases before the world’s war crimes tribunal can take years. Meanwhile, Israel is gearing up for a counter offensive that could land senior Palestinians in the defendants’ dock. Here is a look at the looming showdown at The Hague.
WHAT HAPPENS NOW?
Palestine formally joins the court April 1 as its 123rd member, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in accepting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ ratification of the court’s founding statute. Palestine was recognized by the U.N. General Assembly in 2012 as a state, covering the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, lands Israel captured in 1967. Palestine exists in theory only, with Israel in full control of most of the occupied territory, but will be treated as a state at the ICC. Israel is not a member of the court and has no plans to join, but its actions in the Palestinian territories can now be investigated and prosecuted by the court.
WHAT CASES WILL THE PALESTINIANS SUBMIT?