Abbas: We will not negotiate on our right to join ICC

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas criticised Israel for withholding Palestinian tax revenue so as to “bargain” with the Palestinians over their bid to join the International Criminal Court.

This came in a speech he gave during the opening ceremony of the Palestine Broadcasting Corporation’s new building in Ramallah. The ceremony was attended by Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah as well as other officials, governors, journalists and leading figures representing different Palestinian factions.

“We are committed to peaceful negotiations,” Abbas said. “If we decide to resist… we adopt peaceful resistance. And we know that the other side [Israel] does not acknowledge the necessity of peace.”

“We said that if the Palestinian bid at the Security Council was thwarted, we would go to other international organisations, including the International Criminal Court. Then Israel is now bullying us by withholding the funds that it collects in our name and takes a percentage of,” he added.

“We will not take back or bargain our accession to the ICC. We have further steps to be proposed during the upcoming PLO Executive Council’s meeting at the end of the month.”

Abbas noted that Israel has withheld tax revenues for the second month in a row, adding that he knows that these revenues will not be delivered to the Palestinians next month either. “We will be patient,” he said.

According to the Israeli website Israel Hayom, Benjamin Netanyahu’s government withheld the January’s tax revenues due to be given to the Palestinians on Sunday.

In the context of a punitive measure taken after Abbas signed 18 international treaties and agreements, including the Rome Statute of the ICC, Israel has withheld $225 million off tax revenues that it collects on the Palestinians’ behalf.

The Palestinian step angered the United States and Israel because it allowed Palestinians to legally pursue Israeli officials who commit crimes against them.