The Palestinian Authority (PA) has formally requested that the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague investigate whether it could prosecute Israel for war crimes and crimes against humanity, according to DPA. Speaking at a press conference in The Hague, Palestinian Foreign Affairs Minister Riyad al-Malki and Justice Minister Ali Khashan said they had given ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo evidence that alleged Israel committed such crimes. The ministers said the evidence relates to Israel's recent military operation in the Gaza Strip, as well as Israeli military activity on the West Bank, part of which is autonomous Palestinian territory. Friday's meeting between Palestinian officials and the ICC prosecutor was the second in three weeks. On January 21, Khashan signed a declaration during his visit to Moreno-Ocampo in The Hague recognizing the ICC's jurisdiction "for the purpose of identifying, prosecuting and judging the authors and accomplices of acts committed on the territory of Palestine since 1 July 2002."
