Jeddah, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Palestinian government has begun the process of documenting the recent Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip in a bid to push for an International Criminal Court (ICC) probe into potential war crimes committed by the Israeli government, Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamadallah told Asharq Al-Awsat on Thursday.
“We have formed legal teams to document and seek legal opinion . . . In the current war on Gaza we have been documenting all attacks and crimes taking place in order to go [to the ICC] armed with all the evidence,” the head of the Palestinian national unity government said in an exclusive interview with Asharq Al-Awsat.
The prime minister said the Palestinian government is set “to sign the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court which is a prelude to joining the Hague Convention and the ICC.”
Hamadallah urged the international community to take action in response to Israeli “massacres” in the Gaza Strip.
He said: “After all the massacres and attacks, there must be international action in order to end the Israeli occupation and establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. I think this is a suitable opportunity for the entire world to call for the implementation of international legitimacy resolutions.”
When asked about the progress of the Cairo-brokered talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis, Hamadallah accused the Israeli delegation of “procrastination” in terms of responding to Palestinian demands.
“We demand the lifting of the unjust blockade [of Gaza] and the opening of crossings,” he added.
The full text of the interview with Rami Hamadallah will be published tomorrow.
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