MOSCOW, February 7 (Sputnik) — Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday ordered to set up a committee tasked with overseeing the Palestinian war crime complaints against Israel at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The new committee will prepare the documents the Palestinians intend to submit to the ICC in April, when the PA will formally become an ICC member, Abbas said as quoted by media.
Earlier, Abbas said he sees the ICC as means to prosecute Israel for attacks on Palestinians, who are striving to create an independent state on the West Bank territories, including East Jerusalem, partially occupied by Israel, and the Gaza Strip.
In July 2014, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict escalated as Israel launched an operation in Gaza Strip codenamed Operation Protective Edge, targeted at the Palestinian Islamic organization Hamas. The 50-day war claimed the lives of over 2,100 people, mostly Palestinians, according to the United Nations.
In January, ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda opened a preliminary examination into possible war crimes committed by Israel against Palestinians, including last year's operation.
