Palestine Attorney General joins ICC advisory committee

The Palestinian Attorney General Ahmed Barrak has been elected to join the Advisory Committee on the nomination of judges to the International Criminal Court, the Wafa News Agency reported.

The ICC has previously said that Barrak “is of high moral character and integrity and has established competence and extensive experience in criminal and international law.”

Barrak is the first Palestinian member to join the Advisory Committee and was elected as a regional representative of Asia-Pacific states during the 17th ICC Assembly of States Parties in The Hague. Members are normally designated for three-year terms with the possibility of being re-elected once.

In her Report on Preliminary Examination Activities, the ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda noted that: “During 2018, the Office has advanced and significantly progressed its analysis […] Given the detailed focus that the Office has given to this situation since 2015, the Prosecutor intends to complete the preliminary examination as early as possible.”

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Malki attended the ICC Assembly of States Parties in The Hague and met Bensouda. He urged for investigations to be opened in to the continuous crimes committed by the occupation against the Palestinian people.

The Palestinian leadership has repeatedly called on the ICC to investigate Israel’s crimes against Palestinians in the occupied territories which they say amount to “war crimes and crimes against humanity”.

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