The former prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Luis Moreno Ocampo
has said that the investigation being carried out by the ICC concerning
the issue of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including East
Jerusalem, will most likely result in condemnation of Israeli officials
since the establishment of settlements is considered a continuing war
crime.
He added that the settlements constitute a
clear legal violation of the Rome Statute and the rules of
international law, which prohibit an occupying power from transferring
its civilian population to an occupied territory.
During a special panel discussion
organized by Al-Quds University yesterday evening, Ocampo said that the
prosecutor’s office has gone a long way in examining the issue of
Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
He denied the statements attributed to him
by an Israeli newspaper a year and a half ago that settlements are not
illegal, pointing out that it was not the first time that the Israeli
press has presented its own interpretation of statements.
In particular, he stated that what was
reported in the newspaper at that time is contrary to his firm legal
convictions that the transfer of the civilian population of an occupying
force onto occupied land constitutes a war crime.
Ocampo explained that the case brought by
the State of Palestine before the ICC has caused huge discomfort among
the Israeli side and is moving the Israeli government from an attack
posture to one of defence, citing a quote by an Israeli official that
Israel is recruiting more lawyers than soldiers as a result of the
Palestinian complaint.
Featured image: Ralph Alswang/Flickr
The original source of this article is Middle East Monitor
Copyright © Middle East Monitor, Middle East Monitor, 2017
Comment on Global Research Articles on our Facebook page
Become a Member of Global Research
No comments:
Post a Comment