The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates is considering filing a complaint against the US Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, at the International Criminal Court (ICC) over his recent comments on the long-awaited US peace plan.
Friedman, a staunch supporter of Israeli settlements, said Israel has the right to annex at least “some” of the occupied West Bank in an interview published by the New York Times on Saturday.
Facing the Facts: #Israel Cannot Escape #ICC Jurisdiction by Ramzy Baroudhttps://t.co/pMXsNhkkwA via @PalestineChron pic.twitter.com/12rjRqSOsC
— Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) June 5, 2019
In a press statement on Sunday, the ministry condemned Friedman’s remarks, describing him as “a threat to regional peace and security” and his words as “an extension of the policy of the US administration, which is fully biased towards the occupation and its expansionist colonial policies”.
The ministry said in a statement:
“What reasoning could justify Friedman’s logic that Israel has the right to annex parts of the West Bank? International law prohibits the annexation of a land by force, as well as a reality imposed by occupying powers.”
Palestinian officials are considering filing a complaint at the #ICC against US ambassador David #Friedman after he said Israel had the right to annex the occupied West Bank // #Palestine https://t.co/q2neO4jWSO
— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) June 9, 2019
Friedman’s remarks elicited a strong reaction from Palestinian politicians.
Senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat said on Saturday any such policy would be tantamount to “US complicity with Israeli colonial plans”.
During campaigning for the first general election in April, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to annex illegal Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, a move long supported by nearly all legislators in his alliance of right-wing and religious parties.
Netanyahu reaffirms West Bank annexation, despite ex-security officials’ petition – Middle East Monitor Read more https://t.co/n79WuImBSG pic.twitter.com/nZmEgGpxn7
— RTNews24 (@rtnews24en) June 4, 2019
In February this year, Netanyahu told legislators he had been discussing with Washington a plan that would effectively annex illegal settlements.
In a rare public show of disunity between the close allies, the White House then flatly denied any such discussion.
The international community regards the settlements as illegal and the biggest obstacle to peace.
(Al Jazeera, PC, Social Media)
