Not specifying which of the courts the Palestinian leadership will turn to, the 2 major int’l courts which could deal with Israeli settlements are the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.

By ADAM RASGON

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said on Tuesday that the Palestinian leadership plans to continue to confront Israeli settlements in international institutions, commenting on the Knesset’s passage of a law that legalizes settlement homes on private Palestinian land.

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“This legislation is in violation of international law, and we will continue our work with international courts to protect our existence sea survival on the land of Palestine,” Abbas told a press conference in Paris.

While Abbas did not specify with which courts the leadership will continue to work, the two major international courts which could deal with settlements are the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice.

ICC Prosecutor-General Fatou Bensouda – Wikimedia Commons

The ICC Prosecutor-General Fatou Bensouda is currently carrying out a preliminary examination of a number of issues in the West Bank and Gaza Strip including settlements, but has yet to decide if she wants to open a full investigation into them.

Last Tuesday, Saeb Erekat, the secretary-general of the PLO Executive Committee, called on Bensouda “to open a investigation into Israel’s settlement enterprise.”

Abbas also said that recent announcements, authorizing plans to build thousands of settlement units, are “an assault on our people,” which the Palestinian leadership refuses to accept.

Israel announced the authorization of 5,500 settlement units in the West Bank in the past two weeks.

View original The Jerusalem Post publication at:
http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Abbas-Palestinians-working-with-intl-courts-against-Israeli-settlements-480852