Israel will not cooperate with ICC on Palestine – Foreign Ministry

The Israeli authorities do not intend to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in its investigation of the conflict in Palestine, said Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Ben-Dor.

In a conversation with RIA Novosti, he argued that his country “protects the rights of its citizens and fights terrorism.” He also expressed distrust in the ICC investigative commissions and noted that such a situation had already developed before. Thus, in 2009, the UNHRC conducted an investigation into the facts of Israeli war crimes during the operation in Gaza. Tel Aviv refused to recognize the commission’s final report.

Earlier, the ICC reported that 5 states immediately requested to investigate the situation in Palestine. We are talking about countries such as South Africa, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Comoros and Djibouti. At the same time, an investigation is already underway into Israeli actions committed since June 13, 2014 in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

On the morning of October 7, Israel was subjected to an unprecedented-scale rocket attack from the Gaza Strip as part of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, announced by the military wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement. At the same time, organized groups of Hamas fighters began to penetrate into Israeli territory, who easily overcame the first line of defense of the Israeli army, took hostages and caused serious damage. Israel later launched Operation Iron Swords, attacking the Gaza Strip and cutting off all supplies of water, food, electricity, medicine and fuel. Attacks are also being carried out on the territory of neighboring Lebanon and Syria.

At the moment, the number of deaths from Israeli army strikes in the Gaza Strip has exceeded 13,000, including 20 Russian citizens, and the number of wounded has exceeded 31 thousand. In addition, Hamas militants may be holding up to 150 Israelis hostage. More than 1.4 thousand people died in Israel.

The Russian Foreign Ministry called on the parties to stop all hostilities. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that a resolution to this crisis is possible only on the basis of a “two-state” formula approved by the UN Security Council, that is, the creation of an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with its capital in East Jerusalem.