RAMALLAH, Palestine, June 10 (NNN-WAFA) – Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that, it is planning to file a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC), against U.S. Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, who said annexing parts of the West Bank is Israeli right.
In its press statement, the ministry described Friedman’s remarks as a reflection of the U.S. bias towards the Israeli occupation.
A day earlier, Friedman told the New York Times that it is the right of Israel to annex parts of the West Bank territories, and blamed the Palestinian Authority for the current stalemate in the peace process with Israel.
The Palestinian statement slammed Friedman as a “settler supporter” who is “illogical and unjust,” adding, the U.S. ambassador “is eager to defend the occupation state (Israel) by all means.”
Friedman’s remarks were vastly condemned by Palestinian officials.
On Saturday, the Palestinian Authority spokesman, Ibrahim Milhem, said, Friedman’s statement is “outlawed and comes in line with the Israeli policies.”
“The vision of the American side to annex occupied territories is a war crime, according to international law,” wrote Saeb Erekat, secretary general of Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) Executive Committee, on Twitter.
The Palestinian Authority has been boycotting the U.S. government since it recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in Dec, 2017, and moved its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem in May, 2018.
Meanwhile, the U.S. government has taken several steps against the Palestinians, including shutting down the PLO office in Washington, cutting aid to both the Palestinians and the UN agency, providing support for Palestinian refugees.
Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, repeatedly called for an international multilateral mechanism, to overlook the potential peace process.– NNN-WAFA
