Hamas lauds Abbas' ICC statute signing

The Palestinian faction Hamas on Wednesday described the signing of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas earlier in the day as a “step in the right direction.”

“This step needs to be part of a general policy and a joint national program,” Hamas said in a statement.

It called for holding a meeting of Palestinian factions with the aim of approving a suspension of peace negotiations and security coordination with Israel.

Hamas said the meeting should also dwell on means of lifting the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip, reconstructing the war-battered territory, and bringing justice to civil servants in it.

Earlier on Wednesday, Abbas signed 20 international treaties, including the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, in response to the UN Security Council’s rejection of a Palestinian statehood bid.

Abbas had repeatedly threatened to apply for membership in the ICC – which would allow the Palestinian Authority to sue Israel for war crimes – if the council failed to commit Israel to withdrawing from occupied territories by the end of 2017.

Abbas signed the ICC membership applications following a public speech delivered in Ramallah after an urgent PA meeting was held to discuss a response to the draft resolution’s failure.

“We expected to win nine votes at the UNSC, but one member state abstained at the last minute,” Abbas said, without specifying which one.

“Every demand listed in the draft resolution was in line with international law,” he added.