Palestine became officially on Wednesday the 123rd member of the International Criminal Court, acceding to the , the founding treaty of the ICC. The ceremony was held at the court's headquarters in The Hague in the Netherlands.
The Palestinian Authority was represented by the Palestinian foreign minister, Riad al-Maliki.
"The Rome Statute will henceforth apply to the State of Palestine, Palestine has acquired all the rights and all the duties associated with that status member state," said the Second Vice-President of the ICC, Judge Kuniko Ozaki.
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The accession process was initiated in late 2014 despite the hostility of Israel and the United States. The Palestinian Authority seeks, through this process, to increase its international legitimacy.
In the streets of Hebron in the West Bank, the accession to the ICC is obviously very welcome.
"Anything that can help to expose the hypocrisy of the Israeli occupation is welcome, says Sharif, one of the inhabitants of Hebron. For 50, 60 years since the crimes of the occupation continue, whether the killing of Palestinians or physical occupation of our territory. "
"We hope that the International Criminal Court will restore justice in a way or another, says Bassam, another resident of Hebron. So far, it's as if we did not exist. Every time we turned to the Security Council or the ICC, it was never completed. Hopefully now this will change. "
The Hague tribunal's mission is to try the perpetrators of genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes. Membership of the ICC can therefore allow Palestinians to pursue Israeli leaders.
The Palestinian Authority has already sent documents paving the way for investigations into alleged crimes committed in the Palestinian Territories since June 2014.
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