US condemns Palestinian move at ICC as 'counterproductive'

The White House said on Thursday that the Palestinians’ efforts to prosecute Israel for war crimes at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague are “counterproductive”, and stressed Washington’s strong opposition.

“The United States has made it clear that we oppose actions against Israel at the ICC as counterproductive,” National Security Council spokesman Alistair Baskey said.

The Palestinian Authority submitted its first evidence of alleged Israeli war crimes to the ICC on Thursday in an attempt to speed up a court inquiry into abuses committed during last year’s Gaza conflict.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki spoke to reporters outside the ICC after meeting Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda. He confirmed that he had submitted dossiers on the Gaza conflict, Israeli settlements on occupied land where Palestinians seek a state and the treatment of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

“Palestine is a test for the credibility of international mechanisms, a test that the world cannot afford to fail,” insisted Maliki. “Palestine has decided to seek justice, not vengeance.”