The Palestinian Authority has announced it plans to submit detailed files to the Geneva office of the International Criminal Court on Thursday, alleging Israeli “war crimes” against its leadership and people.
In a statement released by the Palestine Liberation Organization – the only entity legally entitled to represent Arabs living in Judea, Samaria and Gaza – it was clear the files were prepared as some sort of alternative to The Schabes Report issued earlier in the week by the United Nations Human Rights Council.
“The delivery of this information is considered a fundamental step in the process of ending Israeli impunity and bringing justice to the Palestinian people,” the statement read. “The files to be presented to the court refer to war crimes and crimes committed by individuals of the Israeli leadership… The files include statistics on settlements, prisoners, as well as statistics on Israel’s aggression and attack on Gaza 2014.”
The PLO added the report, to be submitted by PA Foreign Minister Riad al-Malki and a team of lawyers, had been “months” in the making.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Emmanuel Nachshon called it “nothing more than Palestinian public relations,” saying the report was a “crude and cynical attempt to politicize the work of the ICC.” He added, “We hope the ICC will not fall into the trap.”