Washington, Feb 10: The International Criminal Court (ICC) is calling on states to fully cooperate amid reports that Israel will seek to sabotage the court’s investigation into its alleged war crimes, spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah told Sputnik.
Media reported earlier that Israel will ask dozens of its allies to urge the ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda not to proceed with an investigation against Israel regarding alleged war crimes in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.
“The ICC counts on the full support and cooperation of its States Parties, and the international community more broadly, to advance its crucial mandate of providing accountability for atrocity crimes where it has jurisdiction,” the spokesperson said.
US State Department spokesperson Ned Price previously said that the United States had serious concerns about the ICC’s attempts to exercise its jurisdiction over Israeli citizens.
On Friday, the ICC ruled that it has jurisdiction to open an investigation into Israel’s alleged war crimes on the occupied Palestinian territories. Bensouda has claimed since December 2019 that there was sufficient evidence to open a full investigation into possible war crimes.
(AGENCIES)
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