Palestinians join International Criminal Court to fight Israel

THE HAGUE: The Palestinian Authority joined the International Criminal Court on Wednesday, opening an unprecedented new front in its self-declared “diplomatic war” against Israel.
The Palestinians, who became the 123rd member of the world’s permanent war crimes tribunal, said they would give prosecutors ample time to complete an initial inquiry into last year’s Gaza conflict, but would formally request an investigation if it took too long. “If it takes more (time) than expected ... we will ... issue a referral,” Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki told Reuters in an interview, adding that his government would not hesitate to hand over Palestinian suspects if the court asked for them.
Accession to the court is part of the Palestinians’ campaign to win global recognition of statehood, but Israel says such unilateral moves damage prospects for a negotiated solution to the decades-old conflict. With the court swamped with investigations in Africa and prosecutors already struggling to secure convictions, any case over alleged crimes in the occupied territories is unlikely to come to trial for some years — if ever.
Palestinian membership gives the court’s prosecutors the right to examine war crimes committed by any party on its territory after April 1, a development contested by Israel, which is not an ICC member and has no plans not cooperate.