On Monday, UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon submitted Mahmoud Abbas’s Palestinian statehood application to the UN Security Council for consideration. It’s expected that UN’s committee on new membership would consider the issue on Friday.

Canada’s mass-circulation daily The Toronto Star reported on Thursday that the chief prosecutor of International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno-Ocampo has confirmed that Palestinian Authority can ask ICC to investigate the Zionist regime for war crimes even if its statehood bid is vetoed by the US at the UN Security Council.

“If the General Assembly says they are an observer state, in accordance with the all-state formula, this should allow them . . . to be part of the International Criminal Court,” says Luis.

Moreno-Ocampo has scrutinized the issue of the Palestinians’ claims for two years, since they filed a declaration giving jurisdiction to the court for acts committed on their territory. But there has not yet been a conclusion.

“We have the declaration, and we have been analyzing if they are a state,” he said. “Now the issue is before the UN, and whatever they decide, we will react to.”

Israel opposes any move to hold it accountable in the court, saying it is a Palestinian attempt to delegitimize and isolate Isael.

http://rehmat2.wordpress.com/2011/09/30/prosecutor-weighs-crime-charges-against-israel/