Abbas Don't You Dare Sell Out The Palestinians

Haniyeh urges Abbas to go to the ICC to prosecute Israel

MME

Deputy Head of the Hamas Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, called on the Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, on Thursday evening, to sign the Rome Statute and join the ICC in order to prosecute "the Israeli war criminals".

In a press statement, Haniyeh said, "The Palestinian factions and Palestinian community all agree on the need for Abbas to go to the ICC and sign the Rome Statute in order to prosecute the leaders of the Zionist enemy for their crimes committed against the Palestinian people".

He added, "Hamas signed the document urging Abbas to sign the Rome Statute, and the signing of this is the right of all the victims. Stalling the signing of the Statute is considered a concession of their rights and offensive to the Palestinian people and their struggle."

On August 23, 2014, a member of the Hamas Political Bureau, Mousa Abu Marzouk, announced that his movement signed the document that President Abbas needed all the Palestinian factions to sign before going to sign the Rome Statute, enabling Palestine to join the ICC.

Palestine was granted international recognition in 2012 after it succeeded in getting the UN vote to accept is as an "observer state".

The Rome Statute is a treaty established by the ICC. It was adopted at a diplomatic conference in Rome on July 17 1998 and put into force on July 1 2002. As of May 2013, 122 states are party to the statute.

Signing this agreement is considered a step towards the Palestinian Authority and leadership heading to the ICC to prosecute Israel for its "violations" against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.