International court team to probe war crimes allegations in Israel

The International Criminal Court is set to send a team of investigators to Israel by the end of the month to examine Palestinian allegations of Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

As part of a preliminary examination of the Palestinians’ claims, the investigators are scheduled to arrive on June 27 and will try to determine if there is sufficient evidence that crimes covered by the court have been committed, The Times of Israel newspaper reported on Thursday.

The Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court said in a statement that such trips by prosecutors are not an unusual occurrence.

Should the review lead to an investigation, the court may also look into crimes allegedly committed by the Palestinians as well.

Even if the ICC decides to launch a full-fledged investigation, the UN Security Council can ask the court to delay proceedings for up to two years, the report said.

Haaretz cited Palestinian sources to the effect that security council members Russia and China have both said they would veto a motion to delay an investigation.

An unnamed senior Israeli official was quoted as saying that the development is no indication that the ICC is giving the investigation special attention.

“We will examine every request for a visit while taking into account all the relevant considerations, including Israel’s position that Palestine is not a state and therefore the court has no authority to consider the Palestinian complaint,” the official was quoted as saying.

News of the ICC visit came as the Palestinians prepared to submit two files of alleged Israeli crimes to ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda.

The Palestinian Authority officially joined the International Criminal Court on April 1, after having signed the court’s founding treaty, the Rome Statute, last December. Though Israel is not a member of the court, cases could be brought before it against Israeli individuals suspected of war crimes committed in territory claimed by the Palestinians.

Israel has dubbed the Palestinians’ joining the court as “scandalous,” with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning that it turns the ICC “into part of the problem and not part of the solution.” Meanwhile, the Israeli non-governmental organization Shurat Hadin — Israel Law Center has begun collecting incriminating information on Palestinian leaders as a deterrent measure at the ICC.