THE HAGUE (Reuters) – The mandate for the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) applies to the current conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, the office of the prosecutor of the ICC said on Tuesday.
In its first reaction since the escalation of the conflict over the weekend the prosecutor’s office recalled the ICC has had an ongoing investigation into “the situation in the State of Palestine” for alleged war crimes committed since 13 June 2014.
“This mandate is ongoing and applies to crimes committed in the current context,” the prosecutors said, adding they are continuously gathering information in support of the probe.
The Palestinian authorities joined the ICC in 2015. The ICC’s founding statute gives it jurisdiction over crimes committed on the territory of its 123 member states or by their nationals on other territories.
(Reporting by Stephanie van den Berg; Editing by Sandra Maler)
