H.E. Mr Mahmoud Abbas, the President of Palestine and Fatou Bensouda ICC’s prosecutor.
President of Palestine, H.E. Mr Mahmoud Abbas visits the ICC Prosecutor.
The Prosecutor of the International Criminal (“ICC” or the “Court”), Mrs Fatou Bensouda and representatives of her Office received H.E. Mr Mahmoud Abbas, the President of Palestine and his delegation at the Seat of the Court in The Hague, Netherlands. The meeting was held in the margins of President Abbas’ official visit to the Kingdom of The Netherlands.
Referring to the recent escalation of tensions in Israel and Palestine, the Prosecutor stressed the need for calm and restraint from all sides, and an end to the violence. She underscored that innocent people have been injured and killed on both sides, and cautioned that the situation may further degenerate into a large-scale commission of crimes that may fall within the jurisdiction of the ICC.
The Prosecutor opened a preliminary examination of the situation in Palestine in January 2015. In this context, the Prosecutor stated that her Office will also examine whether any of the newly reported incidents of violence constitute crimes falling within the jurisdiction of the ICC, and for the same purpose, will continue to record any new instances of violence or incitement to violence that may occur in the future. She warned that anyone – on either side – who commits, orders, incites, encourages or contributes in any other way to the commission of crimes falling within the jurisdiction of the ICC is liable to prosecution either at the national level or at the Court.
