Palestinians to take Israel settlements to ICC

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry on Sunday said that it will respond to Israel’s continued expansion of illegal settlements in occupied Palestinian territories by referring the case to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

“Israel’s aggression on the Palestinian people and the Palestinian state has crossed all the red lines and the situation is nearing a complete implosion,” the ministry said in statement.

The decision came in response to Israel’s announcement of tenders to erect 450 new illegal settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

“This is a blatant challenge to the international community and defiance of the international condemnation to crimes of the Israeli occupation,” it said.

The ministry added that the settlement expansion comes “amid the Israeli election, as Israeli right-wing politicians take advantage of the situation to confiscate more land expand illegal settlements.”

“It also comes after the Palestine signed the Rome Statute, which confirms Israel’s arrogance and defiance to the rules and provisions of international law,” the ministry added.

“This leads [us] to ask the ICC to look into the issue of settlement expansion as a full case, as soon as the membership of the State of Palestine comes into effect in April.”

On Friday, the Israeli government announced tenders to erect 450 new settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, according to Israeli Peace Now movement.

The Palestinian government acceded to the Rome Statute on Jan. 2 and the Hague-based court accepted its jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed in “occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, since June 13, 2014.”