Palestine submits dossier of Israeli 'war crimes' to ICC

The Palestinian Authority is expected to submit a report to the International Criminal Court (ICC) today outlining details of alleged war crimes committed by the Israeli government.

Palestinian foreign ministry official Ammar Hijazi, who previewed the report last week, said it "draws a grim picture of what Israel is doing and why we think that there are reasonable grounds... for the prosecutor to start investigations."

The dossier is said to include allegations that Israel violated international law by expanding Jewish settlements on occupied land, abused Palestinian prisoners, and committed war crimes during last year's conflict in Gaza.

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"The delivery of this information is considered a fundamental step in the process of ending Israeli impunity and bringing justice to the Palestinian people," said the Palestine Liberation Organisation.

By submitting the report, Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki "will set in motion a chain of events that could eventually see senior Israeli military and political officials indicted for breaches of international law", says The Guardian.

It follows the release of a UN report on Monday which accused both Israel and Hamas of potential war crimes during last year's conflict and called for those responsible to be "brought to justice".

Israel, which is not a member of the ICC and has long argued that the organisation is biased against the Jewish state, has refused to co-operate with international authorities. It argues that the international court has no authority to investigate a Palestinian complaint because it "is not a state".

A spokesperson for the Israeli Foreign Ministry dismissed the report as pure politics and "nothing more than Palestinian public relations".

Another government official told the Jerusalem Post that it was "a hostile, aggressive move that is a continuation of a campaign to conduct diplomatic warfare against Israel."

Based on the evidence submitted, ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda will have to consider whether there are grounds to order a preliminary examination and then a full criminal investigation.

As charges cannot be brought against states, Bensouda will also be tasked with determining which officials in the Israeli Defence Force and government can potentially be held culpable.

But, as the Financial Times points out, the process could take decades, as a preliminary examination which began in Colombia in 2005 is still ongoing.