PUBLIC
Palestine’s accession to the ICC Rome Statute last week is a crucial step towards accountability for grave crimes in the region and a peaceful resolution of one of the world’s longest running conflicts, the Coalition for the ICC said this week.
After depositing the instruments of accession with the UN Secretary General on 2 January, Palestine became the 123rd state to join the world’s only permanent international court capable of trying individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Palestine also submitted a declaration to the ICC under Article 12.3 of the Rome Statute granting the Court jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed on Palestinian territory since 13 June 2014—the date of the initiation of the Israel-Gaza hostilities this past summer.
“The Coalition fully supports Palestine’s accession to the Rome Statute,” said William Pace, convenor of the Coalition for the ICC. “For 12 years, the Coalition has urged all states to exercise their right to join the ICC, and key members have made special appeals to both Israel and Palestine to join the Court during the last year, which saw some of the deadliest and most destructive armed conflict between the two countries.”
“We hope this move will contribute to ending the cycles of violence between Israel and Palestine,”Pace continued. “Contrary to the position of some, Coalition members argue that enforcing international humanitarian law strengthens the peace process, while also giving victims recourse to legal remedy.”
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