GAZA CITY, Palestine
Palestinian faction Hamas on Wednesday welcomed the official admission of the Palestinian Authority (PA) into the International Criminal Court (ICC).
In a statement, Hamas described the move as a "first step" on the road to lifting the "immunity" long enjoyed by Israeli occupation forces.
Hamas called on the PA to bring Israeli leaders to court for their many violations against the Palestinian people, including Israel's West Bank separation barrier and last summer's Israeli military onslaught against the Gaza Strip.
It also called on the relatives of Palestinian victims of Israeli aggression to cooperate with Palestinian civil society in lawsuits brought against Israeli leaders.
Earlier Wednesday, Palestine officially joined the ICC after The Hague-based tribunal approved its accession bid, Palestinian state television reported.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki received written notification from the ICC that Palestine had been accepted as a full member, according to a TV report.
ICC spokesman Fadi al-Abdallah told The Anadolu Agency that Palestine had become the court's 123rd member state.
Palestine officially joined the Rome Statute on Wednesday, an automatic procedure after the passage of two months since the Ramallah-based PA filed its membership request with the UN, al-Abdallah said.
According to the spokesman, the PA can now request to have Israeli leaders referred to the court for alleged war crimes committed on Palestinian territory.
Palestinians, too, can be prosecuted by the court, as ICC prosecutors are mandated with identifying suspects.
In January, Palestinians formally delivered the UN papers ratifying the Rome Statute – the legal document establishing the court – with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon acting as "depository."
The move came after an Arab draft resolution at the UN General Assembly seeking a deadline for ending the Israeli occupation failed to win the nine votes needed to pass, with the U.S. – Israel's longstanding, veto-wielding ally – voting against it.
Hours later, PA President Mahmoud Abbas had applied for Palestinian membership in 18 international treaties, including the Rome Statute.
The ICC was established in 1998 as a court of last resort to prosecute the most heinous offenses – such as war crimes and crimes against humanity – in cases where national court systems had failed.
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), too, has welcomed accession to the ICC.
The PLO said the move was important for bringing Israel to court, so that it might be penalized for its "crimes" against the Palestinian people.
Israel's offensive on the Gaza Strip last summer left 2,160 Palestinians dead and 11,000 injured.
Israel also destroyed thousands of Palestinian homes and public facilities.
